


Bound

by Light_Within_Darkness



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Ereri-centric, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/F, Female Hange Zoë, Femslash, First Time, M/M, Male Slash, Manga Spoilers, Mates, Minor Character Death, Multi, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pair Bonding, Threesome - F/M/M, Titan Shifter Levi, What Was I Thinking?, Yaoi, Yuri, acwnr spoilers, at some point, so strap in folks, stay tuned, there will probably be an explicit YumiKuri scene, this is gonna be a long one, trigger warnings will be added as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-03 09:01:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2845427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Light_Within_Darkness/pseuds/Light_Within_Darkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a desperate attempt to save an extremely sick Levi's life, Eren inadvertently turns his Corporal into a Titan Shifter.  Threatened by danger from both humanity and Titans, Levi and Eren are forced to flee beyond the Walls.  They meet up with a familiar group of traitors who nearly destroyed their homes and caused the deaths of so many loved ones.  Now, Eren and Levi must fight for survival while navigating an uncomfortable and tense alliance with Eren's former comrades.  And all of them are in a race to find out the secrets behind their Titan powers against other, much more dangerous foes.</p>
<p>Oh, and it turns out that Eren may have accidentally bonded together with Levi.  There's that, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> So I've had the idea for this fic knocking around in my head for awhile, but I've only just gotten the time to start writing it now, since I'm on winter break from university (hooray!). I got the idea from a little fic I read on Tumblr awhile ago about Levi being a Titan Shifter, though I don't even remember who wrote it now... Anyway, I thought "hey, what if...?" And voila, this fic was born!
> 
> Please note that I am taking some liberties with the canon - I'm 98% sure that Titan Shifters are not created with the method Eren uses in this fic. I'm also stretching my imagination pretty far past what we've been told in the manga so far about this universe, so please bear with me and be patient. There will be plenty of MANGA SPOILERS as I go along, so be warned.
> 
> I tagged for violence and underage just to be on the safe side, even though I'm pretty sure that Eren is considered an adult in the context of the Shingeki no Kyojin universe, and the violence probably isn't any worse than what's already in the canon.
> 
> This will be the longest author's note I write, most likely, just had to mention these few things. Enjoy!

"Alright, Hanji, just get as many things on this list as you can," Levi said, handing the scientist the list of supplies that he'd spent all night drawing up after having his new squad check what they currently had in stock. He would have loved to go on a supply run himself, if only to get away from the cabin for a few days. Levi was fond of the soldiers that formed his new squad - he'd handpicked them himself, after all. But living in a cramped cabin out in the ass-end of nowhere, which barely had enough room for him and his brats, was starting to grate on Levi's nerves. Right now, however, it was necessary. They needed to go off the map for a little while. Erwin needed time to plan the Survey Corps' next move, and Hanji needed the space to learn more about Eren's Titan-shifting abilities. And Levi just wanted to get somewhere far enough away from the Military Police to protect Eren, whom the government had declared a traitor. They wanted the Titan shifter's head on a platter, and Levi wasn't planning on letting anyone get close enough to the boy to hurt him.

Right now, however, Levi needed to stay with his squad. There were a million things he had to oversee, from allocating out daily chores to improving everyone's skills during training sessions. He couldn't just fuck off for a few days in order to go to the nearest village to get supplies. Not to mention the fact that people would be keeping their eyes open for Levi in particular, being a high-ranking officer in the Survey Corps as well as Humanity's Strongest Soldier. He didn't want to risk getting found out and having their location compromised, even if it was unlikely that news of the manhunt after them would have spread to the tiny mountain village they were a day's journey from. So it fell to Hanji and Moblit to get supplies instead. Levi did not trust Hanji to remember everything they needed if it wasn't written down, as the woman's head was always so preoccupied with Titans that she tended to forget about mundane things such as what to get at the store.

"Don't worry so much, Levi," Hanji grinned at him as she fastened her plain brown cloak over the civilian clothes she wore underneath. People in small towns tended to remember when important figures such as military personnel came through, so they couldn't risk Hanji and Moblit going in their uniforms. "I'll get everything you guys need to be comfortable out here. You can count on me!"

"I wouldn't exactly call this place _comfortable,_ Shitty Glasses," Levi said, glowering up at the overly cheerful woman. "I can barely move in this place without stepping in someone else's shit. The stuff on the list will make things tolerable, at least."

"Well, sorry I couldn't get you a mansion, short stuff," Hanji rolled her eyes, ignoring the way Levi glared at her for the barb. She swung up onto her horse and snapped the reins, setting off at a smart trot. "Let's go, Moblit!"

"Y-yes, Squad Leader!" Moblit replied, following after Hanji on his own horse. Levi admired the man's fortitude. He had no idea how Moblit could remain sane after spending so much time at Hanji's side. 

"Bye Levi!" Hanji shouted as she neared the edge of the clearing their cabin was located in, waving briefly at him before she and Moblit disappeared from view among the trees.

A few seconds later, Levi heard a loud squawking sound, and turned to see Jean, Connie, and Sasha chasing a terrified wild turkey out of the woods and around the side of the house, all three of them brandishing their hunting knives. Jean yelped in pain as Connie accidentally hit him in the shin with the rock he'd been aiming at the turkey. "Fucking hell, Connie, that hurt!" He shouted over the shorter boy's apologies.

Levi groaned as he went to go help the three of them round up the turkey. He hadn't thought that sending those three out to get dinner would have ended in such a fiasco. Apparently, he'd underestimated the former 104th Training Regiment's abilities to sow chaos anywhere they went. _I fucking hope we can leave this cabin soon..._ Levi thought, rubbing at the bridge of his nose in order to stave off a headache.

**-x-**

Hanji and Moblit rode into the tiny mountain village at dawn the next morning. Nestled deep in the heart of the forest, the place was made up of eight or so small wooden buildings with thatched roofs, arranged in a circle around a clearing with a well in the center. This early, there were only a few girls who looked like they had just woken up out drawing water from the well, and they were too sleepy to pay Hanji and Moblit any mind. And there were no MPs in sight, a fact for which Hanji was profoundly grateful.

Thankfully there was a general store, which was one of the larger buildings in the village and had a dilapidated wooden porch out front. Though calling the building "large" might have been generous, - inside, the store was about the size of the largest room of the cabin that Levi and his squad were crammed into. The shopkeeper had looked exhausted when he answered Hanji's knock, but perked up soon enough at having customers with more money than his usual patrons. 

The store was pretty dark inside as well, the only light coming from a few small windows that were oil-papered over, and a single candle sputtering on the counter. After giving the shopkeeper their list of supplies, Hanji started inspecting the shop's dusty shelves while Moblit waited for the man to get everything they needed together.

"You guys're sure buying a lot of stuff," the man remarked, eyeing Moblit suspiciously as he packed blankets into a crate for them. "What're you and your friend out in this neck o' the woods for, anyways?" He looked over Moblit's shoulder at Hanji, who was poking at a sack of flour on one of the shelves.

"We're part of a hunting party," Moblit explained with the straightest of faces. Being a member of the Survey Corps and facing death by Titans on a fairly regular basis made a person remarkably cool under pressure, after all. "Just moving through the area is all. Thought we'd pick a few things up while we were here. This might be the last place we'll get the chance to, after all. It's pretty remote, where we're going."

The shopkeeper grunted. "Seems all the hunters are movin' further north. The only decent game's well away from anyplace a person might decide to make a home, these days." Moblit breathed an inward sigh of relief that the man had bought his lie so readily. "It's been a pretty lean year for us," the shopkeeper continued. I dunno if I've got much in the way of food preservatives for you two."

"Anything you have is fine - " Moblit started to say, but he was interrupted by Hanji rushing up to the counter and shaking a metal tin in the very surprised shopkeeper's face.

"This is black tea, isn't it?" She asked excitedly. "I haven't seen any of this stuff in ages, what with all the shortages! Where did you get it?"

"Er...got it off a trader who came through a few days ago. Gave it to me pretty cheap, too," the shopkeeper replied. He seemed to be at a loss as to how to deal with Hanji, which Moblit knew from years of experience was a common reaction.

"It'll make someone I know so happy to have this!" Hanji continued. "How much?!"

"Well..." The shopkeeper got the kind of gleam of his eye that seemed to be unique to people in business, when they saw the opportunity to make some cash off of a rare or unusual item. "I mean, that there's a luxury item, ma'am. Don't think I could let it go for less than thirty."

_"What?!"_ Hanji cried. "That's highway robbery! There's no way I'm paying that much for - " She fell silent at an exasperated look from Moblit, though, a look that Hanji knew well. It was the one that said, _please, Squad Leader, we don't have_ time _for this._

Hanji grumbled irritably. She knew that they couldn't waste time haggling over the price of tea in a shop in the middle of nowhere. Besides, it would make Levi happy to get some tea. He hadn't had any in weeks. Although the man was difficult to get along with at times, Levi was Hanji's friend, and she wanted him to be happy. She knew that losing his original squad had taken a toll on Levi, who had already suffered so much loss in his life. If spending thirty dollars on a little tin of black tea would cheer him up, then Hanji would do it. She laid the money down on the counter with a sigh. "Fine. Just finish packaging us up, please?"

"Yes, ma'am," the shopkeeper said, now a good deal cheerier at seeing the stack of bills and coins he was getting. Moblit smiled at Hanji as the man turned around to pull dried herbs off of a shelf. 

"The Captain will be happy," Moblit whispered. 

"I hope so," Hanji replied. "I worry about him. I know Levi's strong, but he never lets anyone in on how he's actually feeling inside."

**-x-**

Levi had spent the entire afternoon training with Eren on his 3D Maneuver Gear skills when Hanji returned the next evening. He'd been in a better mood than usual because of it - there was something refreshing about Eren's raw determination that couldn't help but make Levi feel proud of him. The brat had actually managed to pull off a spin in his Maneuver Gear today, albeit a very sloppy one that probably wouldn't have actually killed a Titan. And Eren had done it despite hours of failures, and a refusal to stop long enough to have lunch until Levi ordered him point-blank to eat something. But Hanji's arrival with their supplies was something that Levi needed to attend to. "We're done for today, brat," he called up to Eren, who was catching his breath on a tree branch ten feet above Levi's head. "Go inside and get washed up, I need to deal with Hanji before she destroys this cabin looking for me."

"Yes, sir!" Eren replied, activating his Maneuver Gear and swinging back to the ground. He was wearing a stupidly big smile, his face flushed from the cold air outside and exertion. Eren's bright blue-green eyes were practically radiating pride. It made Levi's chest feel warm for a reason that had very little to do with being proud at his subordinate's accomplishments, and everything to do with how...well, _cute_ Eren looked, all red-cheeked and messy-haired and beaming with happiness. It made Levi want to take the brat aside and - 

He cut that line of thought short abruptly. It was inappropriate to even be _thinking_ about that sort of thing with someone who was a good ten years younger than him and his subordinate to boot. Not to mention the fact that Levi was tasked with killing Eren if he should lose control of his Titan form and go on a rampage. He gave a single curt nod to Eren before turning on his heel and going to meet Hanji.

"AH! Levi!" She shouted once he'd come into her line of sight. The scientist dismounted, handing the reins of her horse to an exhausted-looking Moblit, and ran up to him with a small tin clutched in her hands. "You won't _believe_ what they had in the village!"

Levi raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, did your horse take a big shit right outside the store? Did you step in it or something?"

"No, silly!" Hanji was positively beaming, not even rolling her eyes at the terrible joke. "Look! I got it for you!" She thrust the tin right into Levi's arms. He wrinkled his nose - the thing was horribly dusty, and he could literally _see_ the fingerprints Hanji had left over the fleur-de-lis carvings on the lid. 

"Is this going to kill me?" Levi asked, a slight note of apprehension creeping into his tone. When Hanji gave you a present, you never quite knew what to expect. Levi still hadn't forgotten the "new and improved" cleaning solution she'd made him as a Christmas present a few years back that had turned out to be incredibly flammable. He shuddered slightly at the memory.

"Just open it! Trust me," Hanji looked like a child about to receive a wonderful treat, even though she was the one who had given him a gift.

Levi lifted the lid on the tin open slightly, half-expecting something to jump out at his face. Instead, he was met with the sharp yet aromatic scent of...tea? Levi opened the tin up fully to reveal that it was filled with what were unmistakably black tea leaves. Good quality ones too, as Levi couldn't see any trace of dirt or mold, and the leaves smelled wonderful. "They really had this at the store? In that tiny little village?" He asked incredulously.

"I know, right!" Hanji exclaimed. "The guy said a trader had just come through and given it to him. So I got it for you! Do you like it?"

Levi closed the tin again, his nostrils flaring slightly at the lingering scent of tea. He hadn't had a decent cup of tea in what felt like forever. Certainly not since the last disastrous expedition outside the Walls. Hell, he didn't even remember not having to pick moldy leaves out of a batch of black tea. "Thanks, Hanji," he said quietly, hoping that his gratitude came across. Unlike Erwin, Levi wasn't a particularly eloquent speaker. "You did good."

Hanji's smile softened. She looked at him with care in her eyes, an expression that Levi still wasn't used to despite all his years of knowing the scientist. "Yeah," she said quietly. "No problem. Just...enjoy, OK? Because besides that tea, nothing at the store was really very clean..."

"Not clean by my standards, or not clean by anyone's standards?" Levi asked. His question was answered when Moblit dumped a small crate of spare winter coats in front of him, and the dust and dirt on the fabric must have been at least an inch thick. Levi fought the urge to retch. "The hell did they keep this stuff in, a fucking garbage dump?"

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Hanji said. "I mean, beggars can't be choosers, and I got what they had! We can't afford to go looking for higher-quality stuff, and we're lucky this guy had as much as he did. I figure most of it was in storage for a really long time though..." She frowned down at the absolutely filthy winter clothes.

"It's not your fault, Four-Eyes. Me and the new squad are going to have a hell of a lot of cleaning to do tomorrow, that's for damn sure."

**-x-**

Dinner that evening was much louder and more crowded than usual, what with Hanji and Moblit staying the night. The two of them were heading back to the Survey Corps HQ to report in with Erwin first thing in the morning. Still, there was only so much Levi could take of Hanji loudly trying to tell everyone about the intricacies of Titan physiology over her soup, while the Braus girl fought with Springer over extra helpings of bread. Meanwhile, Kirschtein tried to cozy up to Eren's sister and only succeeded in earning Eren's ire. Levi was certain that only his physical presence at the table had prevented a fight from breaking out between the two of them.

Levi was lucky enough to have his own quarters at the cabin, although they were the size of a closet and only fit a narrow bed and a very rickety little table that Levi was currently using as a desk. Still, the room afforded Levi a small measure of privacy, for which he was profoundly grateful. He practically collapsed into the tiny chair behind his desk after dinner. Managing the energies and talents of his new squad made Levi's days extremely busy. He often stayed up late into the night, in order to record each member's progress in training and devise new regimens in order to build on their strengths and cover for their weaknesses. Doing so gave Levi an excuse not to turn in early, as he often found himself lying awake in his bed in the wee hours of the morning, worrying about eluding the Military Police and trying his hardest not to think about Eren. For when he did, Levi's thoughts were often far from innocent. 

When he did manage to fall asleep, Levi's dreams were haunted by eyes the color of lake water on a bright summer's day, shimmering up at him as he kissed the supple lips of the boy they belonged to over and over again, and then moved on to kissing more intimate parts of that boy's lithe, tanned young body. More than once Levi had woken up with a hard-on in the morning, and was forced to deal with it by vigorously cleaning himself with ice-cold water at the break of dawn outside the cabin before his squad woke up. It was truly amazing, Levi reflected dryly, how quickly cold water, when combined with the chilly morning air of early winter, managed to deflate an erection.

There was a quiet knock at the door to Levi's room. "Come in," he said, expecting a member of his squad with some kind of question, or perhaps a request if they were feeling bold enough yet to actually ask something of their new commanding officer. Levi wasn't expecting the door to open and reveal Eren Jaeger, carrying a tray with a cup, saucer, and steaming pot of tea on it. 

"Jaeger?" Levi raised an eyebrow in confusion at his subordinate. 

"Er..." Eren's face went red as a cherry, and suddenly his boots became the most interesting thing in the room for the brat to look at. _He's only just getting embarrassed about this now?_ Levi thought incredulously. "I...um...I brought you tea, sir. I saw that there was a tin of it in the kitchen, and I know how much you like black tea, and...I just...thought I'd make you some? As a thank-you for helping me so much with the 3D Maneuver Gear earlier..."

Levi's face softened. "It wasn't necessary for you to do that, brat," he said quietly. "But I appreciate the gesture anyway. Thank you."

Eren's face was so red that Levi thought it was a wonder the boy's skin wasn't steaming. He hesitantly stepped forward and placed the tray on Levi's sorry excuse for a desk before stepping back immediately, as if afraid of crossing some invisible boundary. "With all due respect sir, I really do want to thank you," Eren said, finally looking up and meeting Levi's eyes. "Everyone's only been interested in my Titan powers ever since I found out that I had them. It was...nice, for a change, to have you train me like a normal human soldier. So thank you for treating me like I'm human, Captain." 

Levi fought the urge to just pull the brat across his desk and kiss the hell out of him. Bringing him tea with a cute little blush like that, and actually _thanking_ Levi for something. It had been a long time since anyone had done these kinds of things for him. The sweet, simple gestures that reassured a person that they were loved, that their well-being mattered, were rare in the military. Levi poured a cup of tea and lifted it to his lips, hiding the almost-smile that was on his face. His chest filled with a warmth that wasn't entirely due to the hot liquid going down his throat. 

"I'm only doing what any good commanding officer would, Eren," Levi said. "It's important for soldiers to have many different skills they can count on in the battlefield, instead of just focusing on one. Out there," Levi gestured behind him, "everything's trying to kill you, and who knows what'll happen. We can't just rely completely on your Titan power to save us, especially since we know fuck all about how it even _works._ I want you to be a useful human soldier as well."

Eren smiled, his bright turquoise eyes lighting up with happiness. How he could look so cute without even trying, Levi had no idea. "Good night, brat. See you in the morning," he said.

Understanding that he was dismissed, Eren nodded. "Good night to you as well, sir." He saluted and left the room, closing the door quietly behind himself.

Levi sighed and tipped back in his chair. "How the fuck did I end up falling for this brat," he muttered, running an agitated hand through his dark hair. He couldn't even pinpoint when exactly his admiration for Eren's determination and stubbornness had turned to actual romantic feelings. Only that Levi found himself going out of his way to be near Eren, to talk to him, even if it was only instructions on to how to effectively get fingerprints off of a windowpane. And then came the thoughts of touching Eren, of kissing him all over, of thrusting inside of him and finding all the places that made the boy moan and call Levi's name with pleasure...

And yet, Levi didn't know how Eren felt about him. He'd never been particularly good in the romance department. His only relationships had been a few short flings with people down in the underworld, back when Levi was younger. He hadn't even known Petra had harbored feelings for him until her father had mentioned it, after the girl herself was dead. Eren certainly _liked_ Levi, that much was certain. You didn't voluntarily bring tea to people that you disliked. And the brat respected Levi, hanging onto his every word as if Levi was Sina incarnate. The second Levi spoke, he knew that Eren would give him his full attention no matter what the brat was doing at the time. But how much of that was just simple hero worship? After all, Levi knew that Eren had long admired him for his strength and Titan-killing prowess. Or perhaps Eren's feelings for Levi were just his yearning for a parental figure? Levi was hardly what you would call parental, but Eren hadn't had anyone even remotely like a parent for many years now. Maybe he just saw Levi as a sense of structure and order in a chaotic and dangerous world.

None of it mattered, however. As the matter stood, it was highly inappropriate for Levi to get involved with a soldier ten years younger than him, even if Eren was a legal adult in their world. Romantic liaisons between commanding officers and their subordinates were heavily frowned upon in all branches of the military. And getting romantically involved with Humanity's Last Hope would probably get Levi court-martialed if they were found out. And besides, now was hardly the time for romance. Not when political intrigue and scheming beset them from all sides, on top of the ever-present danger from Titans. No matter what his feelings and dreams were, Levi was never going to drag Eren into something as complicated as a relationship with him.

Levi finished his tea and set the cup down, idly rubbing at the side of his head where the beginning of a headache was throbbing. He took a glance over at his bed and decided in favor of turning in early. Fuck the paperwork he had to do, it would still be there tomorrow. Perhaps tonight would be the night Levi actually got a good night's sleep, for once.

He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, his dreams full of soft brown hair and big, bright turquoise eyes sparkling adoringly up at Levi from above flushed cheeks.

**-x-**

Over his many years in the Survey Corps, Levi's body had become used to waking up about an hour before dawn, so that he could go for a run and do some laundry in peace and quiet before everyone else woke up. At this point, his body just naturally woke up at that time, assuming he was asleep at all. This morning, however, Levi's eyes fluttered slowly open when the bright rays of the rising sun peeked in through the raggedy curtains of his window, flooding the room with pale yellow light. He groaned and slowly sat up, pressing a hand to his head.

He felt like shit.

Levi's entire body ached as if he'd just run a hundred miles, his every muscle feeling sore and exhausted. His head felt as if someone had just run over it with a whole team of horses, and his throat was like fiery sandpaper. _Ugh...I can't be sick,_ he thought in a daze. _Haven't been sick in years...I must still be tired. Fuck, the squad will be awake soon..._

Deciding that he might feel better if he washed up outside, Levi dragged himself out of bed. The entire room started spinning as soon as he stood up, causing Levi to press a hand to his forehead and hiss in pain. His skin felt hot underneath his fingers. _Now is not a good time to be sick, dammit,_ Levi told himself firmly, as if he could will away how awful he felt.

Somehow Levi managed to drag his boots on over the loose pants and shirt he wore as nightclothes, then forced himself out of his room. Every step was an effort, and it felt like Levi's feet were weighted down with lead. He desperately wanted to go back into his room and lay down, but he knew he couldn't. Not when there were supplies to clean, and new soldiers to train, and paperwork to be done...Levi felt a fresh wave of pain wash over his body at the thought.

He heard snores coming from both the girls' and boys' rooms, so Levi decided that he still had at least a few minutes to get himself together before the rest of the squad was up and ready for breakfast. Levi entered the main room of the cabin...only to see Hanji packing some things into a knapsack on top of the room's one raggedy couch. Fuck, he'd forgotten she was leaving early. Various articles of clothing and papers were spread around her on the floor, and Levi would have been annoyed at the mess if he could summon the energy.

"Levi?" Hanji turned around, frowning as she looked at him. "You look awful..." She was immediately in front of him, her frown deepening as she pressed a hand to his forehead. "You're burning up! Levi, you need to go and lay down right now."

"Knock it off, Shitty Glasses," Levi grumbled, weakly batting Hanji's hand away. "I'm fine..."

"No you're not! Levi, you need to rest..." At that moment the room started spinning again. Levi swayed on his feet as the walls and floor of the cabin seemed to blur together into one huge brown mass, stained with the light blue of the carpet. He felt his feet give out from under him, and he felt himself fall forward. Levi tried to move his arms to catch himself, but they were just so heavy...

"Levi?!" He heard Hanji say once more in alarm, before everything went black.


	2. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperate times call for desperate measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 20 kudos already!? And it's only the second chapter. You guys make me blush. :3
> 
> I'm having a blast writing this fic, and I'm trying to get as much of it done as possible while I'm on break from grad school. However, once I start grad school again updates WILL become more erratic, especially since I'm starting my practicum next semester. Please be patient and bear with me. While I'm on break, new chapters will come pretty quickly. :)
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Vomit, a bit of blood.

Levi's collapse caused a heavy _thud_ that sent his entire squad tumbling out of their rooms only a few moments later. Everyone's eyes were still gummed up with sleep, hair messy, and more than a few people were trailing their blankets behind them. Eren's sister - Mikasa, Hanji remembered her name was - was even holding a small knife at the ready. Although the soldiers looked like they were about to fall asleep standing up, Hanji was impressed at their ability to get up so quickly. She supposed that that was what happened when you trained under someone like Keith Shadis.

Eren burst through to the front of the group. "C-Captain?" He whispered, his wide, horrified eyes staring at Levi's body lying on the floor. "What happened, Ms. Hanji?" 

"Levi isn't feeling well, and he fainted," Hanji said. The group of soldiers in front of her immediately started to look nervous, and a low murmuring started among them. _"Can't be...impossible...not Captain Levi..."_ Hanji resisted the urge to sigh, reminding herself that Levi's new squad weren't used to him yet and had probably heard the trumped-up stories about "Humanity's Strongest Soldier" a million times over during basic training. Eren especially looked like his perception of Levi was shattering in front of his eyes.

"But - but - he _can't_ be sick!" Eren cried out in disbelief. "Captain Levi's too strong to get sick. He...he..."

"Is sick," Hanji said firmly, "and I'd appreciate it if one of you could help me get him to the couch."

Eren immediately went to wrap one of Levi's arms around his shoulder, while Hanji wrapped the other arm around her own shoulder. Mikasa and Sasha came forward, and each of them took up one of Levi's legs to carry. The Corporal was surprisingly heavy for such a small man. It was an effort for the four of them to carry him even the short distance over to the couch, and they dumped Levi rather ungracefully atop it. Hanji checked his pulse and breathing while the rest of the squad gathered around nervously.

"He's breathing alright for now, although he feels very warm," Hanji mused aloud. "I'm sure he has a fever, but there's not much we can do about it until he wakes up. I wish I'd brought some medical supplies with me..."

"Is Captain Levi going to be OK?" Asked the little blond boy who was always with Eren and his sister - Armin, if Hanji recalled correctly. "I mean, we're out in the middle of nowhere, and we can't exactly get a doctor out here, since we're in hiding and all..."

"I'm a doctor!" Hanji exclaimed. Her words did not seem to inspire much confidence in the squad, however, as they all looked rather nervous. "Well, I have some medical experience, anyway," she said, a bit defensively. "Anyway, I need to figure out what's made Levi sick if I'm to cure it. How has he been feeling over the past few days? Any coughing, sneezing, or breathing difficulties? Exhaustion?"

Levi's squad all slowly shook their heads no. "He was fine," said Connie. "Captain Levi cut down a whole tree for firewood earlier this week. By himself." He looked impressed just talking about Levi's feat of strength.

"Just yesterday, the Captain spent all afternoon training with me on the 3D Maneuver Gear," Eren said. He bit his lip before suddenly bursting out with, "oh my gosh, you don't think that's what made him sick, do you, Ms. Hanji?! I mean, maybe I pushed him too hard to help me?" 

"Don't worry Eren, I'm sure that's not it," Hanji said, trying to calm the distraught boy. The Titan shifter didn't seem to be taking the news of his commanding officer's illness very well. Eren was still looking at Levi with worried eyes, nervously clenching and unclenching his fists. "I mean, Levi's done much more difficult maneuvers on the Gear for way longer than an afternoon when he's on an expedition."

"Maybe it was something he ate last night at dinner that's disagreed with him?" Historia ventured.

"Hm. That could be it," Hanji said. "Is anyone else not feeling well?" She looked around as if hoping to actually see germs dancing in the air around everyone.

"I'm hungry," Sasha said, "but otherwise I feel OK."

"I feel fine," Mikasa said quietly.

"I've still got a bruise on my knee from yesterday," Jean said, glaring at Connie.

"Hey man, I said I was sorry like ten times already!"

"Alright, alright," Hanji said, holding her hands up to get them to stop. "I guess we can rule out bad food then. We all ate and drank the same things, and no one here is feeling sick besides Levi. And I've known Levi for long enough to know that he isn't allergic to anything we had for dinner - "

"Um, Ms. Hanji?" Eren interrupted in a soft voice. He looked incredibly guilty, like someone who had just realized that he might have been the cause of something terrible. "Actually, Levi did...I mean, I made him some tea last night. From the tin in the kitchen." Eren pointed to where the old metal tin of tea leaves was still sitting next to the stove. "But I didn't put anything weird in it, I swear! I know that Captain Levi likes his tea strong, so I just brewed it with regular water."

Hanji rushed over to get the tin, bringing it over to the window in order to get a better look at its contents in the light. Everyone else crowded around Hanji as she brought a few of the leaves to her nose and sniffed. "Hmm...well they certainly don't smell weird or anything..." She then stuck her hand in the tin and started sifting through the leaves, scattering them about as she did so. Everyone took a step back so as to avoid getting tea leaves all over them. "They don't look moldy, either...This is certainly strange."

"Ms. Hanji?" Armin asked. "Are you sure that we should all be standing near the Captain like this? I mean, what if he's contagious?"

"An excellent point, Armin!" Hanji cried. "We need to get him back to his room. Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, put on some gloves - your winter gloves will do fine - and tie some clean rags around your faces. You three need to help me carry Levi. The rest of you, change your clothes and wash up. We've got some cleaning to do."

Everyone groaned inwardly. If there was one thing they were all thoroughly sick of after only a week and a half under Captain Levi's wing, it was cleaning. Well, except for Eren, who had gotten used to it after spending over a month with the clean freak.

After carrying Levi to his room, Hanji dismissed Eren, Mikasa, and Sasha. "You three go on and help the others clean. Have some breakfast. I'll take care of Levi for now." Sasha practically ran out of the room at the word "breakfast," but Eren didn't move. Mikasa hovered by the doorway, waiting for him, but Eren waved her off.

"What is it, Eren?" Hanji asked as she tucked Levi in. "You don't need to stay around Levi all day. Go and eat."

"With all due respect, Ms. Hanji, I think that I do," Eren said. "Captain Levi's saved my life three times now. I can't abandon him now, not when he needs care. Let me stay and help you."

Hanji turned to see Eren staring at her with the same hard, determined look he'd worn during his trial, when he'd announced that he was going to annihilate all of the Titans because no one else could. It was the kind of steely resolve that could move mountains and break barriers. Hanji knew that she had no chance of convincing Eren to leave, not when he was filled with such determination to help Levi. "Alright," she nodded. "Go to the kitchen and make a bowl of very weak soup. One part broth and two parts hot water. No tea though, I don't think that we want to be messing around with that stuff until we know for sure that it's OK."

Eren saluted. "Yes ma'am. I'll be right back," he said before leaving the room.

Hanji sighed and brushed a hand across Levi's sweat-dampened forehead, her own brow furrowed in worry. The man's body felt so hot, yet he still shivered even underneath a warm blanket. _Oh Levi, please be OK,_ she thought. _We need you. Eren needs you._

**-x-**

Levi dreamed of being back in the underworld, chasing Farlan and Isabel through the streets. It was difficult, however, because they were wearing 3D Maneuver Gear and were able to zip along above him, rappelling off of buildings and the rocky ceiling above, while Levi could only chase them on foot. His two friends - his family, really - moved effortlessly above the winding streets and perilous, narrow alleyways, flying through the ruined and derelict town like birds. Although there was no one else in sight, Levi was having a hard time keeping up with them without Maneuver Gear of his own.

"Come on, big bro! You've gotta catch us!" Isabel laughed as she hopped lightly from rooftop to rooftop, her short, messy red ponytails fluttering behind her like tiny wings. "Catch us, and we'll come home with you!"

Farlan swung off of a crumbling wall to land in front of Levi, and it seemed for a moment that Levi would be able to catch up to him. However, just as the shorter man's fingers brushed Farlan's hand, Farlan shot his 3D Maneuver Gear wires upwards and swung up onto a building, a good twenty feet above Levi's head. "Levi, don't let us get away!" He shouted happily, zooming effortlessly along beside Isabel. "If you don't catch us, we'll get away from you forever! We'll die!"

"We'll die!" Isabel giggled as she chanted along with Farlan. "We'll die, we'll die!"

"No..." Levi gasped as he stumbled forward. His muscles burned from all the running he was doing, and sweat poured down Levi's forehead to sting his eyes and soak his dark bangs. "No...don't go...come back! I need you..."

_I need you..._

_...need you..._

"-tain? Captain Levi, sir!"

Levi's eyes flew open, and he started to cough, a horrible wracking sound that made his chest feel as if it was on fire. Eren's face hovered above him, turquoise eyes dark with worry above a rag tied around his mouth.

He still felt awful. Even worse now, actually. Levi's chest and head felt as if they'd just been run over by a pack of stampeding Titans. His stomach was a roiling mess, and his whole body in general felt like a sack of shit. And to top it all off, Levi didn't remember anything beyond waking up in the morning and running into Hanji. "What...what happened?" He asked.

"Ms. Hanji said you passed out this morning. She said you were sick and needed to rest. So we carried you back to bed." Eren replied.

"That fucking - " the rest of Levi's sentence was cut off by more loud, painful coughing. He couldn't help the slight groan that escaped his lips afterwards, and Eren picked up on it instantly, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Sir, why don't you have some soup? It's just leftover vegetable broth from last night mixed with hot water, but I've been keeping it warm on the stove for you. Let me go and get it." Eren left the room, and Levi struggled to sit up a bit. Just moving his body was a chore, as his limbs didn't seem to want to listen. It felt as if there were dead weights attached to Levi's torso, instead of arms and legs. He cursed quietly - perhaps he really was sick. And at the worst possible time, too. It figured, with the way his luck had been lately.

Quick footsteps sounded down the hall, and a few moments later Eren came back into the room with a wooden bowl full of steaming liquid. He gently placed it atop Levi's lap, being careful not to spill even a single drop. The brat knew Levi well, despite the fact that he had only been under Levi's command for around two months now. Levi carefully lifted the soup to his lips, glad that the bowl wasn't too warm and that he was able to hold it without burning himself. He slowly started drinking the liquid while Eren stood nearby, staring at him with concern.

It was a bit uncomfortable, having the brat - or anyone for that matter - look at Levi with concern like that. Especially because _Levi_ was supposed to be the one taking care of Eren, not the other way around. "Go on and do something else for awhile, brat," Levi said hoarsely. "Don't stare at me like that."

"Y - yes sir," Eren saluted - _he does that even when I'm sick, Sina help me_ \- and left the room. Levi took two more small sips of broth before his stomach gave an unpleasant gurgle and Levi set the bowl down on his rickety little desk. He'd barely drunk half of the soup, but he didn't feel like he could stomach anything else right now. Levi wanted to get out of bed and do _something,_ anything, to keep from feeling useless. He'd had enough of laying around when his leg was hurt, dammit. But despite his protests Levi felt his eyes sliding closed, and before long he was asleep again.

Ten minutes later Levi was awake and violently throwing up over the side of the bed, into a bucket that Eren was just able to shove underneath his mouth when the brat had come to check on him.

Levi felt absolutely disgusting. He desperately wanted to get up and bathe, or at least wash out the horrible taste of stomach acid. Eren was staring at the contents of the bucket with an incredibly worried expression. "Oi, brat. Get me some water so I can wash my mouth out," Levi said, perhaps a bit harsher than he'd intended to, but he felt too sick to care. "And stop fucking staring at my puke."

Eren left the room and ran into Hanji almost immediately. "How is he?" Hanji asked. "I heard retching...did he throw up?"

Eren wordlessly handed Hanji the bucket. The woman peeked inside and gasped. "There's - there's blood in it."

"That's not good," Eren said quietly, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"No," Hanji agreed, "it's not good at all."

**-x-**

As the week progressed, Levi's condition only worsened. Hanji had sent Moblit on to report to Erwin, electing to stay behind and help Levi as best she could. But despite the best efforts of her, Eren, and the rest of Squad Levi, the Corporal didn't seem to be getting any better. His fever had broken once about two days into his illness, causing them all to have a brief spike of hope for Levi's recovery, but then returned in full force the next day. Levi's temperature hadn't gone down since, and he spent most of his time asleep, tossing and turning in his bed as his body was wracked with shivers.

Levi could barely eat anything without throwing up, and he was in danger of becoming dehydrated. All he could stomach was broth even more watery than what he'd been given on his first day of illness, which Hanji and Eren practically had to feed to him. Even though it had only been a few days, Levi was starting to lose weight. The ever-present circles underneath his eyes were darker, his cheekbones more prominent. 

He could barely get out of bed even to go to the toilet, and had been reduced to asking for Hanji's help. She never asked Eren to help Levi use the bathroom, since she knew it would embarrass Levi too much to become so dependent on his subordinate. It was a blow to Levi's pride just to have Eren feeding him. As it was, both Hanji and Eren tried to limit the rest of the squad's involvement with Levi's care. They both knew that the Corporal was a proud man, and having his whole squad see Levi this way would be too horrible a blow to his pride.

Near the end of the week, Levi started coughing up blood. Eren had literally felt faint when he'd seen the red splotches staining the handkerchief Levi was holding to his mouth. He felt as if he was walking around in some kind of horrible nightmare the past few days, and Eren wished he would wake up. How could Captain Levi, who had killed so many Titans and survived so many expeditions beyond the Walls, possibly be brought so low by sickness? It was unbelievable.

Later in the afternoon, when the rest of the squad was out training, Eren ran into Hanji sitting in the living room while he was bringing in fresh water from the spring outside. She was slumped on the couch, absentmindedly turning Levi's bloody handkerchief over in her gloved hands. The scientist's expression was the most serious Eren had ever seen it, as if Hanji was facing something terrible. Seeing the usually animated and cheerful woman so miserable sent a pang of cold fear through Eren's chest. "Ms. Hanji, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Ah! Eren!" Hanji jumped slightly and turned to face him, pasting a weak smile on her face. Somehow it looked even worse than her previous hard expression. "I didn't see you there. I'm just thinking about Levi, is all."

"Is the Captain doing any better?"

Hanji's fake smile fell away almost instantly. "He's...he's in a bad way, Eren," she said quietly. "I asked Moblit to come back here with medicines from my lab at the Survey Corps HQ as soon as possible, but, well, we're pretty far away from HQ right now. Moblit probably won't be back here until next week. By then..." Hanji trailed off, biting her lip as she suddenly looked down at her lap, twisting the red-stained cloth tightly between her fingers. "I...I should go and see how your squadmates are doing in their training. And someone needs to get dinner ready..." Hanji got to her feet and practically ran from the cabin. It might have been a trick of the light, but Eren could have sworn he saw a few tears running down Hanji's cheek as she went past him.

The cold feeling settled in Eren's gut, clenching tightly around his stomach like a vice. He refused to think about what Hanji's behavior might mean.

**-x-**

After dinner that night, when Hanji was tending to Levi in his room, Levi's squad sat quietly together in the main room. A nervous tension saturated the air between them, as it had all that week. All of them only had one topic on their minds, but no one wanted to be the first to break the silence. Finally, however, Armin spoke up. "Captain Levi...he's not going to die, is he?"

"Of course not!" Sasha cried, leaning forward slightly in her chair. "I lived in the middle of nowhere before I joined the army, and I know that there are plenty of wild herbs and plants around that can cure sickness! Even in the winter! I'll - I'll go out and look tomorrow..." Sasha trailed off, looking as if the air had suddenly been taken out of her sails. She slumped back in her spot on the couch, curling up into a little ball and burying her face in her knees. Mikasa absentmindedly patted her on the shoulder.

Even the usually optimistic Historia looked absolutely miserable. "But the Captain's been coughing up blood and he can't seem to keep any food down. I don't know how long anyone can go on like that, even if they're Humanity's Strongest."

"The Corporal can't just die!" Connie said, absentmindedly slamming a weak fist against the carpet. "I mean...we _need_ him. How are we going to survive against the whole government without his strength? Without the Corporal, we're just a bunch of dumb kids."

"We're not dumb kids!" Jean butted in. "We fucking survived Trost _and_ getting attacked by a damn Titan Shifter! We don't need Captain Levi to be strong!" But like Sasha, Jean faltered as well, putting his head in his hands and letting out a muted yell of frustration and anger.

Eren couldn't take any more of it. "Captain Levi isn't going to die!" He shouted, jumping up from his spot in front of the fire between Mikasa and Armin. "He's too strong to die! He'll get better, I know he will! Stop acting as if he's already dead!" An image of Hanji's morbid expression from earlier in the day flashed in his mind, and suddenly Eren couldn't be in the room with everyone anymore. He felt as if he was bubbling over with anger and anxiety, and he might explode if he had to spend even another moment looking at his friends' dejected faces. "I need to bring Hanji some clean sheets for the Captain," he muttered, turning swiftly to go. However, Eren was stopped by a firm hand at his shoulder, and turned to see Mikasa looking at him with worry in her dark eyes.

"I'll bring the sheets, Eren. You sit down and rest," she said. "You've been working yourself ragged taking care of Levi this week. I know you're worried about him, but you aren't his maid."

Eren's eyes narrowed and he roughly shrugged Mikasa's hand off. "Leave me alone, Mikasa! I don't need to rest, and you aren't my mom!" He snapped, then turned on his heel and stormed off to Levi's room. "And don't just refer to the Captain by his first name like that, it's disrespectful!"

He rounded the corner down the hallway, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists with anger. A part of Eren felt bad for snapping at Mikasa like that - he knew that she was just trying to help - but his thoughts were consumed with Levi right now. The Corporal had been on his mind pretty much ever since Eren had met the man, ever since those sharp grey eyes had locked with Eren's own across a set of dingy steel bars and Levi had proclaimed Eren as his. But Eren had never once worried that Levi was going to die. It was _impossible_ for Levi to die.

Eren was so consumed with his thoughts that he practically bumped into Hanji as she left Levi's room. "Eren! 'm sorry, I should be more careful..." The end of Hanji's sentence was cut off by a huge yawn. Eren looked up to see the scientist looking even more disheveled than usual. The bags underneath her eyes were almost as dark as Levi's, and Hanji was practically swaying on her feet. Eren remembered that he wasn't the only one working himself ragged over Levi's health.

"Ms. Hanji, why don't you go to bed," he suggested. "I'll watch Levi for the rest of the night."

"Oh thank you, Eren," Hanji said gratefully. "Wake me up if his condition gets any worse. Hopefully he'll just sleep through the night..." Hanji trailed off as she walked down the hall to go lay down. Eren went into Levi's room and cast a nervous glimpse at Levi, who was fast asleep. He sat down in the small chair Hanji had squeezed into the corner of the room, and watched Levi sleep as Eren's own gut churned with fear.

He had harbored a crush on Levi so large that it bordered on painful ever since he had first met the man. Levi's proud, strong figure, his strength, his self-assurance, all of it was captivating to Eren. Even Levi's abrasive personality and obsession with cleanliness hadn't dampened Eren's feelings. If anything, those flaws only served to strengthen Eren's attraction by making Levi human, a person with faults and flaws, and not a godlike Titan-killing machine.

And Levi was _kind_ as well. He wasn't dead inside like so many of the other Survey Corps soldiers were, only caring about their own survival and nothing else. No, Levi cared deeply for his fellow soldiers. Eren remembered all the times Levi had gotten on his hands and knees and helped everyone clean. How he'd shared his tea with Auruo, sparred with Erd, praised Petra's hard work, and made sure that Gunther's letters from home were delivered promptly. Levi had saved Eren's life, protected him, believed in his ability to finally end humanity's endless struggle against the Titans. Precious few people had treated Eren with the care Levi had, especially after his Titan-shifting powers was discovered. And Eren, of course, had only fallen more deeply for the Corporal.

Eren blushed slightly as he thought about all the times he'd masturbated to Levi in his cell, thinking about those callused, strong hands touching him in all the right places. Dominating Eren, making the Titan Shifter kneel before him in a way that Eren would never let anyone else do. He'd wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through Levi's short black hair, over the fuzz of his undercut. He'd wanted to touch those strong muscles as well, Levi's hard abs and back and shoulders, all the parts of the Corporal that Eren tried so hard to catch a quick glimpse of during communal showers in the morning.

But none of it mattered. The Corporal could have his pick of men and women in the Survey Corps, and there was no way he would ever look twice at a stupid kid like Eren. Eren was too angry, too stubborn, and too unsure of himself and his own powers. He was a monster, someone who Levi was obligated to kill should he ever lose control. Levi deserved someone better.

Eren curled his legs up under his chin and felt hot, fat tears roll down his cheeks and dampen the fabric of his pants. He sat like that for what felt like hours, not moving even when he heard his friends' footsteps in the hallway as everyone dispersed to their rooms. Eren didn't move even when Jean started snoring or when the candle on Levi's desk had burned down to the point where it was barely able to chase away the invading shadows of night.

It wasn't _fair._ Levi was only human. He didn't have the kinds of healing abilities Eren did. The Corporal couldn't recover instantly from wounds, or regrow limbs, or...

It was then that Eren got the idea.

Almost instantly afterwards he realized how stupid it was. There was no way it would work. It was incredibly dangerous. Even Hanji would have told Eren not to try it (probably).

He looked over at Levi's prone form, at how tiny the Corporal looked in his bed. Levi's hair was disheveled, the beads of sweat on his pale forehead faintly visible even from where Eren was sitting. He had never allowed himself to look so messy, not even in the heat of battle. Levi's breathing was harsh in his chest, hitching as the air entered and left his lungs.

Levi was dying.

And Eren was willing to do whatever it took to save his life.

Eren silently got up from his chair, wiping his face across his sleeve as he did so. He stood right next to Levi and carefully put his hand close to the smaller man's mouth. Eren took out the knife that he always kept in a small pouch on the side of his pants, and made a neat cut along the palm of his hand, hissing slightly at the pain. Almost instantly steam rose from the wound as it started to heal, and Eren pressed his bloody palm against Levi's mouth. He watched as dark red blood flowed from his hand through Levi's slightly parted lips, watched the slight movements of Levi's throat as he reflexively swallowed the hot liquid. Eren pulled away as the cut healed over completely, and even the small amount of blood that stained the corners of Levi's mouth evaporated away.

For a long moment, there was no change at all. Levi continued to lay there, unmoving and unconscious. Just as Eren was sure that nothing was going to happen, however, Levi's body suddenly seized up. Every single muscle in Levi's body went tense, and his entire body began to shake uncontrollably. The shaking increased to the point where the bed frame was rattling slightly against the floor, and Eren worried that Levi was going to fall out of bed. The Corporal's eyes were clenched tightly shut, his mouth open in a silent scream. Eren debated over whether or not he should go and get Hanji. _Oh Maria, what if this kills him?_ He thought in a panic. _Fuck, I'm so stupid, I never should have done this!_

Then it was all over. Levi's body slumped boneless against the mattress, once again still and unmoving. Eren let out a loud sigh of relief as he heard Levi's steady breathing once more, his chest rising and falling evenly as he slept. And the Corporal's breath sounded much more even and painless, this time.

Smiling slightly, Eren returned to his chair and closed his eyes. He felt boneless himself, all the anxiety that had built up over the week suddenly dissipating. Eren felt his eyes slip closed, his body succumbing to its need to sleep. _Please feel better, Captain,_ was Eren's last thought as he dozed off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Levi. I love you so much, why do I feel the need to torture you so? T^T
> 
> Thanks again for all the kudos and comments everyone, it means a lot! :D
> 
> Also, please note that this fic's tags will evolve as I plan the story out in my head. Be sure to pay attention, clever readers!


	3. Steam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With wellness comes surprising new changes to Levi's body. Meanwhile, he starts to have some weird feelings for a certain bright-eyed Titan shifter...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was supposed to be out way earlier, but then Dragon Age: Inquisition happened. That game is a HUGE time sink, but it's also wonderful. GO PLAY IT...if you can. ;)
> 
> (also IDK how many of you have read the latest SnK manga chapter but I've been very, very concerned for my precious baby Eren lately).
> 
> Warnings: Blood, very minor violence

Levi's eyes opened slowly, and were greeted by the soft, velvety gray light slipping through his curtains, signifying the hour before dawn. It was the time he usually awoke, and Levi couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction at actually waking up on schedule. It seemed that he had been sleeping forever. Trapped in a feverish nightmare filled with Titans, their great maws dripping with blood, bones sticking out between giant teeth. Meanwhile, Farlan and Isabel's screams had echoed in the background, begging Levi to save them as their bodies were crushed between the jaws of Titans. He slowly sat up, shaking his head slightly in order to clear the visions from his mind.

He felt fine. Better than fine, in fact. Even though Levi had been asleep for what felt like a very long time - though he didn't know for sure, maybe he'd just been asleep a few hours - his body felt awake and at peak condition. The last thing he remembered were Eren's big, worried eyes looking up at him as Levi threw up into a bucket. 

He experimentally moved his arms and legs beneath his blanket, and relief swept through Levi as he found that he could move his limbs easily now. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and carefully stood up, sighing in relief as he found that he had the strength to stand up. He didn't feel even the slightest bit dizzy. _Huh,_ he thought. _I guess it was just the flu after all. Or a bad cold._

There was a slight grunt from the direction of Levi's desk, and he turned to see Eren fast asleep on a small chair in the corner, his arms and legs curled awkwardly beneath his body. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Levi's lips. His brat had waited with him in his room all night. _Stupid kid,_ he thought fondly. _I told him not to worry over me so much._ Levi went over to the chair and took Eren up into his arms, being careful not to wake his subordinate. He could carry Eren easily, and Levi was glad to see that his strength was as unaffected as ever. Eren stirred slightly but didn't wake, murmuring unintelligibly as he nuzzled against Levi's chest. For a moment Levi didn't move, just stood there enjoying the feeling of Eren in his arms. Eren fit there as if he was made for Levi to hold him, and his warmth and solid presence made Levi feel calm and comfortable.

Then Levi sighed heavily, mentally scolding himself for standing there and holding Eren like a lovesick fool. _Haven't I already decided that it's not appropriate to get involved with him?_ Levi carried Eren out of his room and down the hall, creeping along as quietly as a cat until he reached the boys' room. He opened the door carefully, wincing at the slight creak it made. The sound was completely covered up by Jean and Connie, however, who sounded like they were competing to see who could snore the loudest. Levi wondered how Eren and Armin could stand the noise. 

He reached up and gently deposited Eren on the top bunk of the bed he shared with Armin, being careful not to wake the small blond boy. Eren murmured in his sleep again before curling up into a little ball, unconsciously snuggling against his pillow. Levi couldn't help the slight smile tugging at his lips once again as he pulled the blanket over Eren's body. He allowed himself a moment to linger on Eren's sleeping form before leaving the room as quietly as he'd come in. _Don't be stupid,_ he scolded himself once more.

After having been asleep for so long, the last thing Levi wanted was to go back to bed. Not to mention that his entire body felt disgusting. There was a rancid taste in the back of his throat, probably from the vomit, and Levi was sure that his breath smelled horrible. He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced at the feeling of grease weighing down the short black locks. A bath was most definitely in order.

Levi brushed his teeth until they gleamed in the reflection of the tiny sliver of a mirror hanging in the cottage's single bathroom. Then he took a cake of soap from his room, heated some water on the stove, and went outside to bathe. Despite the freezing air, Levi scrubbed himself until his skin felt raw and his hair was clean. The sun's rays were starting to peak above the horizon as he sat in the living room before the fire, wrapped in a blanket in order to warm up in the short time he had before his squad woke up.

There was a loud gasp behind him, and Levi spun around to see Hanji standing there, staring at him with her mouth hanging open like an idiot. _"Levi!"_ She shrieked, and ran over to him, eyes wide with wonder. Her hands fluttered as if Hanji was just barely restraining herself from hugging Levi. "You're - you're _awake!_ I...I don't...you should be in bed! Yesterday you were..." Hanji trailed off, still staring at Levi as if he was some kind of miraculous being that had just appeared before her.

"I'm feeling better now, Shitty Glasses," Levi growled, glaring at the scientist for looking at him like he was about to break. "It must've been the flu or something, and I got over it. Don't get all worked up. And close your damn mouth, a bug's going to fly in there and you'll choke to death on it."

"It wasn't the flu!" Hanji insisted. "It was way, way worse! I thought you were going to _die,_ Levi!" Her eyes were looking shiny behind her glasses, and Levi fervently hoped that Hanji wasn't going to cry. He was absolute shit at dealing with crying. "I don't know what was wrong, but...I'm so glad you're OK!" And then Levi found himself getting crushed to death in Hanji's tight embrace.

"Ow! Let _go,_ you crazy woman! I can't breath!" Levi pulled himself away from Hanji with some effort, giving her his deadliest glare. Hanji merely shrugged and put a hand up to feel his forehead, frowning slightly as she did so.

"You still feel a bit warm though. Maybe you should go lay down for awhile..."

"It's because I've been sitting in front of the fire, for fuck's sake!" Levi batted the annoying hand away. "Now let me get dressed, we've got a lot of work to do today to make up for when I was sick."

**-x-**

Levi was sitting at the table and eating a bowl of porridge from the pot he was heating over the stove when his squad started trickling in from their rooms, all in uniform but looking exhausted. The exhaustion faded away quickly as they saw Levi, all of them goggling at him in much the same way Hanji had been doing. Levi sighed irritably - he'd already had enough staring today just from Hanji. "I'm feeling much better today," he explained. "Sit your asses down and eat, we'll spend most of the day today training."

"Yes sir!" The squad chorused, and everyone started the business of filling their bowls with porridge and sitting down to eat. For the first time in what felt like forever, the room was filled with lively chatter, bright eyes, and smiling faces. It seemed like all of the soldiers couldn't help themselves from telling Levi how happy they were to see that he was well again, the words bursting from their mouths like rushing water pouring through a dam.

"I'm so glad you're well again, Captain!"

"I thought you were a goner there - erm, no offense..."

"The Captain's back! This is awesome!"

Even Mikasa, who still hadn't quite warmed up to Levi after she'd witnessed him beating Eren on that dramatic day in the courtroom, gave a tiny smile. Though his face didn't show it, Levi was touched by how much his squad cared about his well-being. They hadn't had much time to get used to each other, and Levi had gotten the impression that his new squad was still a bit wary of him. Now, however, it was starting to feel like they were becoming a unit. A team. It was a good feeling.

As breakfast was finished, everyone went outside to get into their Maneuver Gear, looking more eager about training than Levi had ever seen them. Eren, however, lingered by the table under the rather flimsy pretense of scrubbing out his bowl. "Get out there, Jaeger," Levi said. "Four-Eyes over there'll be doing the dishes."

"Aw man, why you gotta be like that Levi..." Hanji whined, but Levi shot her a look that clearly brokered no arguments. With a heavy sigh Hanji got up and went to the washbasin, grumbling all the way.

Eren paused by the front door to look at Levi. "Sir," he said. "I'm, um...I'm really glad you're better." And Levi again felt his chest fill with warmth at the way Eren's eyes sparkled happily at him. Just for him.

"Eren," Levi couldn't help himself from calling out as Eren opened the door. "I'll set aside an hour to work on your Maneuver Gear skills, one-on-one. You could still use some brushing up on it."

Eren's face broke into a wide smile. "Thank you, sir!" He said, before finally stepping outside and running up to join the rest of the squad in their morning laps. Mikasa and Armin were lingering behind, clearly waiting for him to join them. He fell into place beside them, sharing a quick smile with Mikasa to let her know that he was OK. _I did it,_ Eren thought triumphantly. _I really did it! Captain Levi is better now, and it's all because of me. I guess being a Titan really does have some advantages._

**-x-**

The next few days went by peacefully, creating a welcomed respite from the chaotic mess that everyone's lives seemed to have become. Hanji was still staying at the cabin with Levi and his squad, partly out of concern for Levi's health and partly because she wanted to study Eren's Titan-shifting abilities some more. Poor Moblit had basically gotten sent straight back to the Survey Corps HQ with a stack of progress reports Hanji had written up for Erwin. Levi couldn't help but admire the poor bastard for his patience. If Levi had been in Moblit's position, he'd have kicked Hanji's ass ages ago, subordinate or no.

Levi felt perfectly well physically, his strength and stamina just as great as they had been before he'd fallen ill. Mentally, however, was another story. He seemed to have developed a strange sort of attachment to Eren after his recovery. Levi felt antsy and tense whenever Eren wasn't in his direct line of sight for more than fifteen minutes. It felt almost like a kind of primal _need_ for Levi to keep Eren by his side, to protect and care for him. He chalked the feeling up to Eren being a magnet for any and all kinds of trouble. But that excuse wasn't enough to explain why Levi spent the hour before dinner the other day pacing nervously around the front of the cabin, waiting for Eren to return from chopping firewood with Mikasa and Connie.

However, it seemed to Levi that Eren shared a similar desire to remain close. He'd taken to hanging around in whatever room of the cabin Levi was in, usually to ask him about the next day's training regimen, or for a suggestion on how to better use the 3D Maneuver Gear. Eren had also started doing small chores that Levi hadn't asked of him, such as bringing Levi's laundry into his room after it was done drying by the fire, or getting Levi a hot bowl of broth to sip if he was up late working. Levi had repeatedly told Eren that he didn't have to do such things, but Eren only replied with, "I know, sir. I want to help you." 

_Besides,_ said a snide little voice in the back of Levi's mind, _it's not like you're ordering him to stop or anything._

Levi kept thinking up stupid little excuses to keep Eren nearby, such as asking him to help with dishwashing duties if Levi lingered over his evening meals, or requesting Eren's help in sorting out his paperwork. They were menial tasks, but Eren never complained about having to do them. Although his sister seemed to take offense to all the grunt work Eren was being given, and took to shooting Levi dark glares that were almost as deadly as Levi's own. Lately Levi had found himself resisting the strange urge to check on Eren while he slept, but adamantly refused to enter the boys' room. It was mostly out of fear that one of the other boys would wake up and see Levi in the room, which would lead to some very awkward questions. Besides, watching another person sleep was just plain creepy. 

So Levi laid awake at night chastising himself for not better controlling his attraction towards Eren. _You're the adult here. You need to knock this shit off before you end up hurting him,_ Levi told himself repeatedly to no avail. Deep down, he knew that these strange feelings of wanting to be close to Eren were more than just simple attraction, but he had no idea what they could be. It worried him to think on the topic for too long, and there was no way in hell that Levi would go to Hanji about it. He didn't even know how to explain these feelings to himself, so how was he supposed to explain them to Hanji?

Meanwhile, Hanji had been nagging Levi every day to "just let me watch Eren shift, just for an hour or so, please, please, come on Leviiiii..." Levi continued to refuse her requests. They both knew that Levi's supervision was required whenever Eren transformed into a Titan, that it wasn't safe unless Levi was there to cut Eren out of his Titan's nape if something went wrong. Yet Levi didn't want to watch Eren shift. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to control himself if Eren did, that his strange desire to keep Eren safe would cause him to interfere with Eren's transformation. Someone could get hurt, and Levi definitely didn't want that. So he continued to brush off Hanji's requests.

"I just want to make sure I'm feeling completely better before we start fucking around with Eren's Titan form."

"I've got too much stuff to do today. I can't neglect the rest of my squad."

And lately, as Hanji became less and less accepting of Levi's excuses: "Dammit, Shitty Glasses, just leave me alone! Don't you have anything better to do?" 

Levi knew that he was being selfish and acting like a petulant child. He knew that it was important for all of them to learn as much as possible about Eren's Titan abilities in order to properly utilize them. Levi took solace in the fact that Eren wasn't complaining about not being able to shift. Levi knew that Eren was very wary of his strange powers, and disliked using them if it wasn't necessary. Eren seemed to revel in getting trained like a normal human soldier, instead of studied like a freak of nature.

Of course, their brief respite from danger had to end at some point. But no one, least of all Levi, was expecting things to turn out the way that they did.

**-x-**

It was towards the end of the week, and Levi was in the kitchen chopping vegetables for dinner while casting periodic glances at his squad running laps outside the window. Hanji was sitting at the kitchen table jotting something down on the pages and pages of notes scattered messily around her, and all the while she was needling Levi about letting Eren shift.

"Erwin's going to be mad if I don't have anything new to report about Eren's Titan powers."

"I don't give a shit."

"We picked this secluded area specifically so that Eren could shift safely and not cause a mass panic."

"I know that. Shut up."

"Levi, why are you trying to avoid this? Eren's abilities aren't going to go away if you ignore them. He's going to keep getting targeted by people who want to use him. The only way to keep him safe is for us to learn as much about Eren as possible, so that we can be prepared for whatever comes next. He's the key to defeating the Titans, Levi. Eren's the key to giving us our _freedom._ " She carefully emphasized the last word, knowing its effect on her friend.

Levi's back tensed sharply, and he briefly stopped cutting vegetables. For a moment, Hanji hoped he would see her point. But then the rhythmic sounds of chopping continued, and Hanji knew that Levi was adopting the "ignore her until she goes away" strategy again. 

Hanji's annoyance at Levi erupted into full-blown anger. "Fucking _hell,_ Levi!" She shouted, getting to her feet and slamming her hands loudly on the table. The loud outburst was so unexpected that Levi jumped and sliced a deep gash into his hand with the knife. He swore loudly at the pain as dark red blood spilled out over the counter, ruining the carrot that Levi had been chopping.

Hanji's anger evaporated instantly at the sight of Levi's blood, her brow furrowing in concern as she went to his side. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean...oh, that looks deep." 

Hanji bit her lip as Levi cradled his hand against his side, the pain distracting him from the crimson liquid staining his shirt. _"Shit!"_ Levi yelled. "That fucking hurts! Goddammit, Four-Eyes, I should fucking smash your glasses for this - " 

"Don't worry, we'll bandage it up! I'll get a cloth or something - " 

What happened next caused the both of them to freeze in their tracks. It was so unbelievable, so completely unexpected, that for a moment it seemed as if time itself seemed to slow down. The world was reduced to only Hanji, Levi...and the steam slowly rising from Levi's hand, curling into little white wisps as it dissipated into the air.

At the sight of the steam, Levi let out a kind of strangled yelp and flung his arm out as if it was diseased. He and Hanji stared, frozen in place, their gazes locked on the skin slowly knitting over Levi's wound. The gash turned from an angry, seeping red to a dark pink, slowly fading back to the pale color of unblemished skin. Even the blood on Levi's shirt had steamed completely away, leaving nothing behind but slightly warm fabric.

For a long moment afterwards, they merely stared at Levi's arm. Then Hanji reached out and grabbed the limb, her eyes wide with wonder and excitement. "I...I don't believe this..." she whispered. "There isn't even a scar...how - "

Levi wrenched his arm away from Hanji with such force that she gasped in surprise. "Hanji," he said, in a voice of such quiet and measured calm that it was terrifying. "Go get Eren."

The expression on Levi's face was one that Hanji had almost never seen - one of abject and utter fear. Levi's eyes were wide and horrified, fixed on his arm as if it was some kind of horrible monster. His face was paler than usual, and Levi's entire body trembled slightly. Hanji felt a shiver go down her spine as she looked at her friend. "OK," she said quietly." "I'll get Eren. Just - just wait here until I get back."

Levi stood by the counter staring at his arm as Hanji left. His mind was racing, but not a single coherent thought seemed to solidify. _What...how...how is this even possible? I must be dreaming. There's just no way...this can't be real..._

The door opened again, and Hanji stepped inside with a confused Eren in tow. "Sir? You wanted to see me for something - " Eren stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the hard, terrified expression on Levi's face. "Sir?!" He asked in a strangled voice of alarm.

Levi didn't say anything. He slowly lifted his head to meet Eren's eyes, his own hard and unwavering. Then Levi took the knife he still had clenched tightly in one fist, and brought it down hard into his arm. The point suck deep into the flesh, just barely touching the bone, and Levi let out a loud grunt at the pain.

"Captain Levi!" Eren cried, stepping forward and reaching out a hand to take the knife away from his seemingly deranged Corporal. "Sir, what are you _thinking?_ Why would you hurt yourself like that - " He was stopped by Hanji's firm hand around his elbow. "Ms. Hanji - "

Eren's voice died in his throat as he saw the steam rising from Levi's wound, obscuring the bloody flesh. Levi's blood on the knife, as well as the few drops that had landed on the kitchen floor, also started to evaporate away. For a few long moments, the only sounds were the soft hissing of steam and the loud shouts of Eren's friends running outside.

Then the steam cleared away to once again reveal smooth, unmarred flesh. "Amazing," Hanji breathed. Eren, however, was standing stock still, staring at Levi's arm. He was vaguely aware that his mouth was hanging open, but Eren made no move to close it. His eyes were wide and trembling, fixed unblinkingly on Levi's clean skin that only moments before had been bleeding.

"Eren," Levi said, in the same deadly calm voice he'd spoken to Hanji with earlier, "why the fuck did this just happen to me?"

His subordinate was still staring at Levi, looking very much like a fish that had just been taken out of water with the way Eren's mouth was open. Eren's jaw worked a few times, but only a few strangled noises came out of it. His chest was heaving as if he'd just run a marathon. Hanji, concerned that the boy might faint, quickly dragged over a kitchen chair and pushed Eren down into it.

"I suggest you tell me _now,_ Jaeger," Levi growled out through clenched teeth, "before I start to get very, very angry with you."

Eren swallowed a few times, then started to speak, his voice hoarse and trembling. "I...I swear I didn't mean it, sir...I didn't know..."

"What the hell did you do, Eren!?" Levi was vaguely aware that he was shouting, as Eren had just flinched back in his chair as if he'd been struck. But right now, Levi couldn't bring himself to care. "What did you do to me, you damn brat!?"

Eren was looking down at his lap, wringing his hands together like a child who'd just been caught sneaking an extra cookie. "Sir, please understand...you were _dying._ I had to save you. So I...I...gave you some of my blood. Sir. When you were asleep. I was hoping that it would heal you, the way I can heal."

Eren carefully looked up to meet Levi's shocked gaze, looking almost painfully guilty. "I guess...my blood had some other effects on you, too..." 

There was yet another long moment of silence, in which Levi and Eren only looked at each other. Hanji was the first person to speak this time. "This is _incredible!_ I had no idea that Eren could pass some of his Titan powers along like that! I suppose it makes sense that it would pass through blood, since Eren shifts by biting himself...Levi, do you think you're an actual Titan now!? Or do you just heal like one? Oh my gosh, let's go outside and see if you can transform like Eren does! It's still light out!" The scientist was so filled with enthusiasm and excitement over this new discovery that she was practically bouncing. Clearly, Levi's barely restrained anger from only a few moments ago hadn't fazed her much.

"HANJI!" Levi shouted, and Hanji immediately shut her mouth. Whenever Levi used her real name, she knew that things were really serious. After he'd gotten her attention, Levi continued in a normal tone of voice. "We are _not_ fucking studying this. I'm not one of your damn lab rats that you can just experiment on. And I won't stand for being treated like the kind of monster that Eren is!"

Immediately after the words left his mouth, Levi knew that he'd gone too far. Eren's wide-eyed, shocked expression made him look as if Levi had just physically slapped him across the face. "Eren, I...I didn't mean it like that," Levi said, wishing he could take back what he'd just said.

Eren stood up from his seat, his hands clenched into fists at his side. He looked down at the floor, his messy brown bangs flopping forward to shield his eyes from view. But Levi swore he saw a tear trickle down Eren's cheek. "Sir, may I please be excused?" Eren mumbled, still refusing to meet Levi's eyes.

All Levi can do was give a soft affirmative. He wouldn't force Eren to stay and risk fucking things up more than he already had. Eren turned on his heel and all but ran down the hall to the room he shared with the other boys. Levi had to force himself not to go running after his subordinate. He felt an almost physical pain at having hurt Eren like that, and all he wanted to do was run after Eren and somehow make things better between them.

Instead, Levi turned back to the counter and grabbed a fresh carrot to chop. "Hanji," he said, as if nothing had just happened. "Get the squad in here, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Hanji hesitated behind him, and Levi expected her to say something, to berate him over how he'd just treated Eren. He almost wished she would - getting chewed out for being a proper asshole was exactly what he deserved right now. But Levi only heard soft footsteps moving away from him and the sound of the front door opening as Hanji went outside to get the rest of Levi's soldiers.

**-x-**

As expected, the first words out of Mikasa's mouth once she saw that her brother wasn't in the kitchen were, "where's Eren?" She tacked a half-hearted "sir" on at the end of that statement, in order to keep from sounding too demanding towards her commanding officer. Still, Levi was pretty sure that Mikasa would have his balls if Eren ever got seriously hurt under Levi's watch. 

"He's in his room," Levi said gruffly. "I don't think he's feeling too well, perhaps you and Armin should go and talk to him."

Mikasa and Armin both nodded at him and went down the hall towards the bedrooms.

"Is Eren going to be alright?" Historia asked, worriedly fiddling with her spoon.

"He's just tired. Eat your food." Levi immediately tucked into his own meal to avoid having to talk with any of the other squad members. They all shot each other looks from around the table, but no one dared to ask Levi anything else about Eren.

Mikasa came back into the kitchen as they were finishing up and shot Levi an extremely venomous look before going to the stove, filling up a bowl with soup, and heading back down to the boys' room with it. Levi sighed slightly and excused himself to go to his office. There, he slumped down in front of his pathetic little desk and stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the fact that every instinct in his body was screaming at him to go and comfort Eren _right this very minute, dammit._

 _This is why I'm better off alone,_ Levi thought morosely. _I always fuck things up with other people._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRYYYYY... T^T
> 
> I promise things will get better between these two. Levi's just really scared and also socially incompetent. And Eren is just...Eren. *shrug*
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left comments and kudos! I'm so happy with the attention this fic's been getting. :D You guys are all so sweet.


	4. Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cabin is attacked, and Levi makes a desperate move to save Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took forever to write. Between my internship and school, I don't have much free time to write these days. :( Thanks for being patient with me, everyone. I know updates can be slow at times. I have Spring Break next week at least, so hopefully I'll have a bit more time to get the next chapter out.
> 
> Enjoy!

Eren sat curled up in a ball on top of his bunk, legs tucked up beneath his chin, hands gripping the rough fabric of his quilt in an attempt to keep from crying. Despite his best efforts, however, Eren couldn't keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks, soaking into the knees of his pants. At least he'd managed to keep it together in front of the Corporal and Ms. Hanji. Crying in front of Levi would have been unbearably shameful.

The Corporal's words had bitten through Eren like a knife, cutting him right to the core. He could still hear Levi's harsh words echoing through his mind, caustic and full of anger: _I won't stand for being treated like the kind of monster Eren is!_ Despite the fact that he might have to kill Eren at some point, Levi had been one of the few people to treat him like something more than a weapon. He'd never neglected Eren's training as a human soldier, making him run drills with his original squad and setting aside the time to work on Eren's Maneuver Gear skills. He'd treated Eren like any other subordinate, insisting that he pull his weight in chores like everyone else, never shying away from Eren's side or acting like Eren might snap and transform into a Titan at any moment. The Corporal had made Eren feel human, had distanced him from the bestial and violent Titan form that Eren kept contained inside his body. It was part of why Eren had become so attracted to Levi in the first place.

Had all of Levi's kindness just been a ruse? Some kind of elaborate trick to keep Eren from siding with the Titans over humanity? Did Levi really not care about Eren at all? Perhaps Levi had spoken to Hanji after taking Eren under his wing, had asked her how best to gain the trust of the Survey Corps' new weapon, their new _monster..._

_But Levi's a monster too now, isn't he?_ The vicious thought came unbidden into Eren's mind, and he let out a loud growl and slammed his fist against the mattress. He'd been stupid to think that giving Levi his blood would have no consequences. Eren had just been so relieved that Levi was OK, that he was safe and healthy and _alive,_ he hadn't given any thought as to what long-term effects Titan blood would do to the man. Now, it looked like Levi had been given the same regenerative powers Eren had. But did that mean the Corporal was a Titan shifter as well? Or did he just have the healing abilities of one? Eren's mind buzzed with confusion.

There was a gentle knock at the door, followed by the gentle sound of Mikasa's voice. "Eren? Armin and I are here. Can we come in?"

Eren furiously wiped the tears from his cheeks. Mikasa and Armin had seen him cry countless times by now, but it still embarrassed Eren to have his only family see him this way. "Y-yeah," he mumbled, just loud enough for his sister and best friend hear him through the door.

The door creaked quietly open, and Mikasa entered, followed closely by Armin. Mikasa took one look at Eren's tear-stained cheeks and still slightly watery eyes and went immediately to his side, easily swinging herself up onto the top bunk to sit next to him. Armin pulled up the room's single rickety chair and sat down next to the bunk, staring up at Eren with concern in his eyes. "Eren, what's wrong?" Armin asked quietly.

"Did Levi do something?" It figured that Mikasa would immediately suspect Levi, Eren thought absently. Even though she was in his squad now, Mikasa still didn't trust the Corporal, still didn't think him worthy of protecting Eren. "Tell us, Eren. We're your family. Don't hide things from us."

Slowly, Eren unfolded his body and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He leaned against Mikasa, who immediately put a protective arm around his shoulders. Armin reached out and gently touched Eren's knee, and for a moment they all stayed like that. The three of them just enjoyed the quiet moment they had together in each other's presence. Only around Mikasa and Armin did Eren feel comfortable dropping his guard like this, allowing himself to draw strength from the two people he loved most in this world.

Eren took a deep breath, and before long everything came spilling out like water bursting through a dam. How he'd given Levi his blood in order to save the Corporal's life. Hanji bringing him in from outside to face Levi's anger and blame. Levi cutting himself with the kitchen knife, his blood steaming away as the wound healed itself before their eyes. He left out the part about Levi calling him a monster, however - as angry as he was, Eren didn't want Mikasa attempting to strangle the Corporal in his sleep. As he spoke, Eren watched his family's expressions change to mildly horrified on Mikasa's part, to a mix of curiosity and anxiety on Armin's delicate features.

Mikasa and Armin were silent for a moment after Eren finished, both of them digesting what he'd just told him. Mikasa was the one who spoke first. "Eren, what were you _thinking?_ We barely know anything about your Titan powers, and yet you just went ahead and just gave Levi your blood? Something terrible could have happened to you!"

"He was _dying,_ Mikasa! And how the hell is something going to happen to me, it was my blood in the first place!"

Armin spoke up before things could get too heated, his brow wrinkling as he thought. "So...Captain Levi could be a Titan shifter?"

Eren looked down at his lap, clenching his fists against his knees. "I don't know, Armin. Maybe?"

"But...does that mean _anyone_ who ingests Eren's blood can get his regeneration abilities?" Armin frowned. "I mean, for example, if you gave your blood to Commander Erwin, would his arm grow back?"

"So what, we're just supposed to start giving my blood out like candy now?" Eren groused. "Hey, some guy's got a sprained ankle, better give him some of my blood!"

"That probably wouldn't be a good idea," Armin replied, too busy pondering the problem at hand to remark on Eren's comment. "I mean for one thing, we don't know if your blood will work on everyone, Eren. It might hurt some people - you mentioned that the Captain had some kind of a fit when you first gave him your blood, right?" He hummed thoughtfully at Eren's nod. "Maybe your blood has negative effects that we don't know about yet? Or maybe it'll outright kill people who aren't strong enough to withstand the Titan power it contains?"

Eren's face went pale. "Oh shit, you're right! I could have really hurt Captain Levi by doing this!" He buried his face in his hands. "This was such a stupid idea!"

"Calm down, Eren," Mikasa said, gently pulling Eren's hands back down to his sides. "Continue, Armin."

Armin's expression was dark as he spoke. "Well, we'd better hope that news of this doesn't get out. The government already wants Eren dead just because he's a Titan shifter. If they found out about what his blood can do? They'd probably pump you dry of every last drop. Imagine what people would do for something that promises they can be free of all illness and injury forever, that would keep them strong and healthy? How can you even put a price on what Eren's blood promises to do? Everyone would want it. The nobles would abuse the hell out of your blood, that's for sure."

"They can try to take Eren," Mikasa muttered, her hand that wasn't around Eren clenching into a tight-knuckled fist. "They will not succeed."

"All I'm saying is, we need to be careful," Armin said. "Eren's in enough danger as it is, and we don't know enough about his Titan shifting abilities to make any kind of reliable predictions as to what he is and isn't capable of. So for now, I'd suggest that we don't tell anyone about this. Not until we know more about the situation with Captain Levi. OK?" 

Eren and Mikasa nodded their agreement, and Armin went on. "Since Ms. Hanji already knows what happened anyway, you should probably talk to her about this tomorrow, Eren. Tell her exactly what you did and what you observed happening. I know Ms. Hanji's a little...eccentric..."

Mikasa snorted. "That's an understatement."

"...but she's also really, really smart. Hopefully she'll have some insight into this that we haven't thought of yet."

Eren nodded and pulled away from Mikasa to slump tiredly against his pillow. "Are you alright, Eren?" Mikasa asked worriedly.

"Yeah..." Eren muttered against the pillow. "I just...I'm tired, is all."

"I'll get you some stew from the kitchen," Mikasa said, and she got up from the bed and left the room. Eren and Armin sat quietly for a few moments until Mikasa returned with food, and then they ate their meal in silence. After it was finished the three of them sat together on Eren's bunk, arms around each other, as they took solace in each other's closeness. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa didn't part until they heard their friends coming down the hall, and Mikasa pulled reluctantly away to join Sasha and Historia in the girls' room. 

Eren curled up on his side and pulled his blanket up around his neck, determined to pretend that he was asleep. The last thing he wanted to do now was talk to anyone. He heard Armin tell Jean and Connie to, "leave Eren alone, he's tired." Eren was grateful. The last thing he wanted now was for Jean to get on his case too.

Eren listened to Armin, Jean, and Connie get ready for bed. Finally the room quieted down, the lantern in the corner was blown out, and the only sounds to be heard were Jean and Connie snoring. He sighed quietly and turned over on his back to stare blankly up at the ceiling. Although Eren had pretty much resigned himself to not being able to get much sleep, the rigors of the day's training caught up with him. He felt his eyes droop closed, and Eren fell asleep to the word _monster_ echoing through his head.

In his own room, Levi lay in his bed staring blankly up at the ceiling. He had no idea how he would ever make things right with Eren again, and the nagging pull he felt towards the boy wasn't making things any easier. Eventually, however, exhaustion caught up with him. It had been a long and stressful day for Levi, and his mind ached and spun with the strange and frankly terrifying realization that he now had the regeneration abilities of a Titan. His body was already tired from training with his new squad earlier, so it wasn't too long before Levi felt his eyes sliding closed, and he too fell asleep.

**-x-**

Outside the cabin, all was quiet save for the faint wind rustling the leaves of the trees. The night was overcast, covering the thick woods with dark, heavy shadows. It was nearly impossible to see the group of people surrounding the clearing that the cabin was in, crouched atop the thick boughs of trees. There were around fifteen of them total. All of them wore thick green cloaks adorned with the white unicorn symbol of the Military Police. They also wore Maneuver Gear, but of a different kind than that used by the Survey Corps. This Maneuver Gear framed the squad's bodies in thin yet flexible pieces of metal, allowing for ease of movement in tight areas. And instead of blades, the triggers of their Maneuver Gear were attached to small handguns. This strange Maneuver Gear was pretty much useless in fighting Titans - but it was perfect for taking out a small group of unsuspecting Survey Corps members who were currently fast asleep.

Only one person, the one perched atop a tree branch hanging only a scant hundred feet or so from the cabin's back window, was wearing a plain black cloak instead of a green one. He was an older man, his face creased and timeworn. Deep-set, dark gray eyes appeared beetle-black below the brim of his bowler hat. A short, scraggly beard covered his chin, the dark hair heavily streaked with silver. The other men and women in the woods had their eyes trained on his dark figure, apparently waiting for a signal of some sort from the man before they moved.

A tall, lean woman, her blonde hair tied up in a short ponytail, swung down on her Maneuver Gear to land neatly on the branch next to the man. His eyes flicked towards her, silently giving the woman permission to speak. She crouched down low to whisper into his ear. "Simmons and I gave the perimeter one last sweep, sir. As far as we can tell, everyone in the cabin is asleep. We're clear to strike."

The older man grunted, a quiet huff of breath that appeared as a small white cloud in the cold air. "Wish we could've staked this place out a little better," he said. "Seemed like every second of the day those damned kids were right out front training or hunting. Still, without Levi around, it should be easy enough to break in and grab the kid."

"What should our next move be, Captain Ackerman?"

"Take Russell, Kurtz, Campbell, and Strauss with you around front. Make sure no one gets out that door. Everyone else'll be with me."

"Understood, sir." There was a brief _whirr_ from the engine of her Maneuver Gear, and the woman disappeared back into the trees.

The man lifted up his hand and flicked it idly towards the cabin, as if he was swatting away an annoying fly. As one, he and the others activated their Maneuver Gear and flew forward.

Eren's eyes snapped suddenly open at a loud crash that seemed to have echoed through the entire cabin. He watched as shards of glass flew across the room from the direction of the windowpane to scatter across the floor. _What the hell...?_ Eren thought groggily. He moved to get up, but a heavy weight slammed down onto his bed, causing the wooden frame to creak alarmingly. Eren's torso was yanked violently forward, his hands pulled behind his back in an iron grip before he could move to defend himself. His body tensed, his mouth opened to scream - until he felt the cold, sharp edge of a knife pressed against the back of his neck. "Don't move, you little punk," a harsh voice growled against his ear. "Our employer prefers you alive, but I've got permission to kill you if I have to. And believe me, I can do the job so that you won't have a hope of regenerating."

There were a few loud yelps, and Eren's head turned to the side to see Armin, Jean, and Connie being pulled violently from their beds by three other people. Eren snarled at the sight of the white unicorns adorning their cloaks. _The Military Police! They found us! But...but how?_

It wasn't long before the other soldiers had subdued Eren's comrades. Being startled out of sleep so suddenly, they weren't able to put up much of a fight. Connie and Jean were pulled to their feet and forced out into the hallway with guns cocked against their heads. Upon seeing Eren held captive, Armin's eyes widened in panic, but the man who had his arms pinned clapped a heavy hand over Armin's mouth before the boy could cry out. Eren pulled forward, trying to get free so that he could save Armin...but froze at the slight feeling of pain in the back of his neck. A hot bead of blood rolled down Eren's nape, followed by the slight hiss of steam, as the tip of his unknown captor's knife pierced Eren's skin ever-so-slightly.

"If you give us any trouble, kid," the man said harshly, "I'll have all your little friends killed right in front of you. Believe me, they're a hell of a lot more expendable than you are."

"Don't hurt them, you bastard," Eren gritted out behind clenched teeth. "Do whatever you want with me, but leave my friends alone."

The man barked out a short, humorless laugh before manhandling Eren out of his bed and shoving him into the hallway. The knife pressed firmly against his nape kept Eren from struggling too hard. He was horribly reminded of a Titan's nape getting sliced cleanly open by a blade, as the Survey Corps soldiers had done countless times before. Besides, the man holding Eren's arms in a vice grip behind his back was strong. Trapped as he was, Eren wouldn't be able to overpower him. The thought caused a hot spike of anger to lance his stomach.

The moment Eren's captor shoved him out into the hallway, the door to the girls' room flew open with a deafening _bang._ A man was thrown bodily from the room, his body skidding down the hall to land against the far wall with a loud thump. Blood dribbled down from the deep red gash across the man's throat, staining the unicorn emblem on the pocket of his military jacket. The man choked and gagged a few times, spitting out blood, before his eyes rolled back in his head and his whole body slumped, dead, against the wooden floorboards.

Mikasa appeared at the doorway, the knife clenched tight in her hand dripping blood. She looked around wildly and saw her brother, his arms pinned tight behind his back and a blade held against him. _"Eren!"_ Mikasa shouted, and ran forward, knife raised and mouth twisted into a snarl.

Although Eren couldn't turn his head to see his captor very well, he could practically feel the man's smirk. "Now here's a feisty one!" He shouted, and Eren found himself hefted up and tossed over the man's shoulder like a sack of flour. He caught a glimpse of a beard, a dark bowler hat...and then the man's black cloak fluttering out behind him as he ran down the hall towards Mikasa, Eren hanging off his shoulder.

No one had ever gone toe-to-toe with Mikasa and lived. It was a fact of life, just as much as the sky was blue and the grass was green. Yet as Mikasa lunged forward to stab Eren's captor, he leapt nimbly around her with the grace of a much younger man. Mikasa's eyes widened in shock as she found herself striking air instead of flesh. The man swiftly moved behind her and struck the back of Mikasa's head with the hilt of his knife before Eren could cry out to warn her. She let out a short yelp before collapsing forward onto the floor like a sack of flour. Up the hall, Eren heard Armin cry out in fear. "No! Mikasa!"

The man toed Mikasa's body and grunted with satisfaction when she didn't react. "Well, I guess that's the most opposition we'll get in this house," he muttered. Eren found himself deposited harshly on his feet once more, his arms again held tight in the man's grip and the cold steel of a knife against his skin once more. "Don't anyone else try anything funny, got it!" The man shouted. "Come on, let's get these little fucks outside," he ordered the other soldiers, who nodded before pulling and pushing everyone else down the hall. A man and a woman exited the girls' room, pulling a struggling Sasha and a pale, terrified Historia along with them. 

Eren's eyes were wide and unseeing. Mikasa's prone form flashed through his mind, face against the floor, not moving. "No..." he whispered. This man, this terrible man, had bested Mikasa Ackerman in a fight. It was something that no one had done ever since Mikasa had come to live with Eren and his family. "No, no, no, no...YOU BASTARD!" He shouted, planting his feet firmly down so that the man could no longer move him easily along. " _That was my sister!_ You fucking hurt my sister, you son of a bitch! _I'll kill you for this!_ "

"Don't give me trouble, kid!" The man snarled, driving his fist harshly between Eren's shoulder blades. The boy gasped and stumbled forward despite himself. "I'm doing you a favor by not knocking you out." The older man dragged Eren out into the main room, where everyone else had been rounded up. Eren's heart sank practically into his stomach at the sight of Hanji's arms being bound behind her back by a large soldier, while another held a gun against her temple. _Where the hell is Captain Levi?_ Eren thought. _Did they kill him? They can't have...it's not possible..._

"Alright, is everyone here?" Eren's captor called out. There was a rousing cry of "Yes, sir!" from the other soldiers. Eren figured it was a pretty fair guess that the man currently cutting off the circulation in his arms was their leader. "Good. Go outside and kill the rest of them, then. We only need this one-" he shook Eren slightly for emphasis, "-and the little blonde girl."

Before anyone could do or say anything else, before Eren and the rest of Squad Levi could start their struggles anew, the door to the cabin swung open with an ear-shattering _bam._ "What the - " the leader snarled, but he immediately fell silent at the sight of the person standing in the doorway. Eren looked up as well, and a fierce rush of relief ran through him at the sight. _We're saved._

It was Levi, somehow looking more dangerous in just his sleep pants and shirt than in full uniform out on the battlefield. At his feet lay the bodies of two or three Military Police members, still and unmoving. A dark liquid ran along the edge of the long knife Levi gripped, a bead of it dripping off the tip and leaving a red blotch on the snow.

"Captain!" Eren shouted, but was immediately silenced by a harsh blow to the back of his head from his captor, causing him to cry out in pain. _"Fuck you,"_ he hissed, but the Military Police squad leader ignored him.

"Well, well, Levi," the man said, his voice laced with cruel humor. "I gotta say, it's a surprise to see you here. I thought you'd be dead by now. I know that crazy scientist bitch gave you the poisoned tea, I saw her do it. But then again, you always were a persistent little shit."

"I knew it was the tea - " Hanji cried out, but was quickly stopped when the soldier holding her hit the scientist over the back of the head with his gun, hard. Hanji cried out and then her body slumped in the man's arms, clearly unconscious.

"Kenny," Levi said flatly. His gaze flicked towards Hanji's limp form for only a second before going back to the man's. Eren's eyes widened in surprise. _Kenny?_ Levi and this man knew each other? "How did you know I was here?"

"Oh, please. You of all people should know by now that I've got connections everywhere. Erwin Smith's a careful bastard, and it was real hard to find out where he was sending you and these kids. But I was able to find this place out in the end. And the good thing is about this outta-the-way forest is, there's plenty of spots to hide."

"You tried to poison me," Levi's voice was still flat, but hints of anger were beginning to come through through. "I want to know why."

Eren couldn't believe the amount of sheer, murderous _hate_ in Levi's eyes, fixed as they were on Kenny's face. A shiver of fear ran down Eren's spine in spite of himself.

Kenny huffed out a small chuckle. "I was takin' a chance, I'll admit. And clearly one that didn't pay off," he added, his voice taking on a slightly darker tone. "I knew I couldn't just try to kill you straight off. You wouldn't go down easy enough to make that feasible. So I had a guy poison that tea, real careful, so you wouldn't be able to smell or taste it or anything. Then I found the nearest town to this shitty cabin, and figured you'd have to go there for supplies at some point. I pretended to be a trader and offloaded the tea at their general store. I was counting on you going yourself, but luckily that stupid friend of yours got the tea anyway."

"And why are you telling me all this, you bastard?" Levi bit out, his voice now becoming truly angry.

"Cause you'll be dead in a few minutes," Kenny replied, his own voice becoming cold and deadly serious. Eren felt the knife Kenny held press ever-so-slightly harder against his flesh. "I _will_ kill this kid if you don't cooperate, Levi. My employer would prefer him alive, but I've got permission to kill him if things go south. And believe me, even a Titan brat won't regenerate from having their neck sliced open.

"But you knew that already, didn't ya? Running off to join the fucking military after all these years living in the Underground. You think you're so fucking high and mighty, Levi? Don't make me laugh. You're still just a little punk, as always. And I can tell that this stupid kid here's important to you, or you'd already be running for my neck."

Levi didn't move, but Eren swore he saw worry flash across his eyes for just a moment. He wanted to cry out, to tell Levi that he wasn't worth this, tell him to just save everyone else and leave Eren to his fate. But he didn't dare move for fear of what Kenny might do. The man held everyone's lives in the palm of his hand, and he knew it. 

Levi knew it, too. Eren could see it in the way his Captain's shoulders slumped in defeat, in the way Levi's grip loosened around the knife in his hand until it fell to the ground with a soft _clunk_ that seemed almost deafening. Eren could practically feel the hope drain out of his comrades as they watched Levi silently admit defeat.

"Very good," Kenny said. "Now hands where I can see them and back out of the house, very slowly."

Levi's hands were balled into tight fists, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to throttle Kenny right where he stood. But he just backed out of the doorway to stand in the snow covered clearing, looking on with hate-filled eyes as Kenny walked out to face him, dragging Eren along with him. He beckoned slightly to his squad, who followed Kenny out with their prisoners in tow.

Kenny toed aside the bodies of his dead soldiers as he walked over them, and Eren heard him growl slightly. The cold air bit straight through Eren's sleeping clothes, and he hissed slightly at the feeling of snow against his bare feet. 

For a long moment Kenny and Levi simply stood there, facing each other across the dark, snow-covered clearing, with Eren held captive between them. The rest of the Military Police lined up behind him. The realization dawned upon Eren then that he didn't know if Levi, if any of them, would make it out of this. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought. Someone behind him - Eren couldn't turn his head to see who - whimpered quietly.

Finally Kenny broke the silence. "You know, Levi, I think I really will kill this kid after all. He's been a pain in the ass to so many people, and you know how I just _love_ to watch you break as you lose everyone important to you." He laughed darkly, and Eren felt the man's grip on his arms tighten.

Levi's next action was purely instinctual. He didn't think on it for even a moment; there was no time to think. All he could see was Eren standing there, helpless, as Kenny was about to slice his neck open. The only thought that went through Levi's head was no.

_Eren is_ mine. _No one will take him away from me._

Just as he'd seen Eren do dozens of times now, Levi raised his hand to his mouth and bit down, hard, right into the fleshy side of his palm.

There was a sharp burst of pain as Levi's teeth broke the skin, followed by the hot, iron taste of blood in his mouth. And then the clearing exploded into light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNNNNN~
> 
> This chapter wasn't originally supposed to end on a cliffhanger, but I cut it off after realizing it was already ten pages long in Word. I get carried away sometimes, I guess. ^.^;;;
> 
> Thank you so, so much for all the sweet comments and kudos! I treasure all of them. You guys are the best. <3


	5. Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new Titan appears, and is desperate to protect Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick word to everyone reading this so far: I really, really appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and support for this story so far. You guys are the best readers a lady could ask for. But please, don't comment demanding that I update. As I have stated multiple times, I am in a graduate program and have limited free time. I'm aiming for two updates a month right now, and I know that's not a lot, but I feel it's the best I can do. Thank you for your patience, as always. :)
> 
> WARNINGS: Blood, minor character death (of nameless MPs).

Despite being the one who caused it, Levi only barely registered the bright light filling the clearing. Instead he was more focused on the fact that he was rising high up off the ground, higher than the roof of the cabin, higher even than the trees of the forest around him. And as he rose Levi felt his body being wrapped in thick layers of hot, pulsing red flesh. Loud cracking sounds filled the air, and through the small gaps the flesh made as it formed, Levi could see that the sounds were made by the sharp edges of bones as they formed around him. After what felt like forever, the fleshy cocoon tightened around Levi, pulling him in so close that he felt his own body meld with the larger body of flesh around him. Overwhelmed, he closed his eyes, and knew no more.

The light filling the clearing was so bright that it drowned out everything around it. Eren hissed as he closed his eyes against it, then hissed again as he was hit with a wave of hot air that felt as if it was going to burn his cheeks right off. He could hear a few people screaming behind him, though it was impossible to tell who.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the light and the heat faded away. Slowly, everyone opened their eyes. When they saw what was in front of them, no one moved, not Levi's Squad nor the Military Police. Not even Kenny moved a muscle. They could all only stare, faces painted in shock and horror.

Corporal Levi was gone. In his place stood a Titan, towering high over everything around them. And that Titan was definitely _not_ Eren.

This Titan was a little on the short side as far as Titans went (Armin later estimated it to be around ten or eleven meters, as compared to Eren's Titan's fifteen meters). It was pale-skinned, and lean-muscled, with shaggy black hair hanging loosely around its face. The longish ends of its hair brushed around the Titan's massive shoulders. Since the only light source was the dim glow of a few lanterns from inside the cabin, the monster's face remained shrouded in darkness. Only the Titan's eyes could be seen, narrow and glowing a bright, steely blue through its dark bangs.

Naturally, Armin's brain was the one to snap out of its dazed shock first. Taking advantage of his distracted captor's loosened grip around his waist, Armin stomped on the soldier's foot as hard as he could. The man yelped in pain, and Armin pushed himself out of the man's grip. "Come on, we need to get to cover!" He shouted as he ran back into the cabin.

The rest of Levi's squad moved almost as one, kicking and pushing and biting their way free from captors who now literally had a much bigger problem to deal with. Everyone ran inside and dove behind various pieces of furniture - Armin, Jean, and Sasha behind the couch, Connie behind the armchair, and Historia underneath the upended wicker rocking chair.

"How is this going to help?" Sasha cried. "That thing might just smash the roof in and bury as all alive!"

"It's no worse than being out in the open!" Jean retorted. "That Titan could crush us just as easily out there as it could in here. Where the hell did it even come from, anyway?"

"Where's Eren?" Armin interrupted them, peering around the couch to look for his friend.

Outside, Kenny was still staring up at the Titan. His grip on Eren's arms had gone slack from shock, and Eren seized the opportunity to escape. He jabbed a sharp elbow into Kenny's abdomen. "Agh!" Kenny shouted, doubling over at the pain in his stomach. "You little shit, I'll wring your neck - !"

But Eren had already pulled away, and was running towards the Titan. Blood was pounding through his ears, making him blind to anything and everything else other than the huge, pale form in front of him. He didn't hear Armin's panicked cry from inside the cabin, didn't look back to see Jean physically restrain the smaller boy from running out to get his friend. All Eren could think about was the Titan. He didn't know where it had come from, why it was here, or where Levi had gone. But something in his body was pulling him towards the huge creature like a magnet, and all Eren knew was that he needed to reach it. 

The Titan must have felt similarly, for a massive hand swooped down and caught Eren around the midriff. All of the air was forced out of Eren's lungs in a great huff, and he found himself being lifted up into the air, the sky wheeling overhead and wind whipping through Eren's hair as he rose. It was a small miracle that his ribs hadn't been pulverized. Almost instinctively, Eren raised a hand to his mouth to bite down, to transform. Then he stopped, with his teeth a scant millimeter away from breaking through skin. _I can't transform right on top of Captain Levi!_ A voice within Eren seemed to cry out. _It'll crush him!_

_Wait a minute..._ Eren twisted around to try and get a good look at the Titan's face. That monster couldn't be Captain Levi! There was just no way that was possible. But then Eren thought back to earlier in the kitchen, to the hissing of steam as it escaped from the Corporal's regenerating flesh. He swallowed hard. _What have I done...?_

Before Eren could see the Titan's face, however, massive fingers curled gently over him in a loose fist, much in the same way that a child might hold an insect that they wished to observe later. He hadn't been crushed or eaten, but Eren was effectively trapped in the dark, hot palm of the Titan's hand.

The Military Police were in disarray. None of them had ever seen an actual Titan before, and now that one was in front of them, they had no idea what to do. A few of them were still standing stock-still and staring up at the Titan, paralyzed in shock and fear. Most of them were running for the woods, and the hisses and whirrs of their 3D Maneuver Gear activating filled the air. 

The Titan let out a massive roar, loud enough to shake the very branches of the trees around them and startling a nesting flock of birds out into the cold midnight air. A few of the Military Police who hadn't run away fell to their knees, trembling. "We're going to die!" One man shouted. "Sina have mercy, we're all going to die!"

"Shit!" Kenny hissed, ducking down and rolling underneath the Titan's arm as it reached down towards them, another angry roar rumbling in the back of its throat. "Run, you fucking idiots!" He shouted at his squad, then activated his 3D Maneuver Gear and flew into the woods, swinging and jumping from tree to tree in an effort to get as far away from the Titan as possible. There was nothing Kenny could do for his squad now - the guns attached to their Maneuver Gear were useless against a Titan. At this point, the best thing to do would be to get to a safe place and try to regroup. Hopefully there would be people left alive to regroup with.

A massive hand swept down across the front of the cabin, crushing all of the Military Police who were still standing there. The sky was filled with shrieks and screams as bodies were sent flying hundreds of feet into the woods, or crushed into bloody splatters against the ground. The Titan just barely missed decimating the entire cabin, though it did manage to take out a sizeable chunk of the front wall. The members of Levi's squad inside huddled down in fear as chunks of plaster, stone, and wood rained down around them. 

"I wish our Maneuver Gear wasn't all in the shed out back!" Connie moaned, and everyone else silently but fervently agreed. No one wanted to risk going outside and past an angry Titan to get the Maneuver Gear. Even if they were successfully able to reach it, just getting all the belts and straps on without getting killed would be an impossible feat.

A few foolish soldiers leapt out from the trees in a desperate attempt to try and kill the Titan that was destroying their fellows. They peppered the Titan with bullets, but it was as useless as throwing pebbles to try and fend off an angry mountain lion. The bullets merely sunk a few feet into the Titan's massive arms and back, creating tiny plumes of steam where the skin healed quickly over. The monster cried out, more from rage than from pain, and swiped its arm out towards its attackers in a wide arc. The wires of the soldiers' Maneuver Gear were snapped as easily as threads, and they all fell screaming to their deaths. 

From where he was trapped inside the Titan's hand, Eren could hear the screaming, but he couldn't see what was going on. He was trapped in darkness, with the thing's _(Levi's?)_ massive fingers curled around him. "Stop! Stop!" Eren shouted, pounding on the Titan's skin with his fists. "Don't hurt my friends, Captain! They're your soldiers! Your _squad!_ You have to stop!" Desperately, Eren bit down into his hand again and again, but he couldn't seem to shift into his own Titan form. His desire to avoid harming Levi was somehow stronger than his need to protect his friends. "Fuck!" Eren shouted, continuing to rail against his living cage with bloodied fists. 

Once it was satisfied that there were no more soldiers coming after it, the Titan didn't try to go after the soldiers of Levi's squad, huddled as they were inside what was left of their cabin. Any other Titan would have tried to eat or otherwise eliminate any humans in its immediate vicinity, and they all had an uncanny ability to sense humans in their midst. However, this was no ordinary Titan. It simply turned and ran with Eren in tow, crashing through the woods and leaving a trail of broken trees in its wake.

"Fuck!" Kenny growled as he heard the sounds of earth-shaking footfalls and splintering wood behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see the Titan crashing through the forest behind him with all the grace of a drunken bear. He quickly swerved off to the side, leaping from tree to tree as quickly as he could in order to get out of the monster's path. Thankfully the Titan didn't seem at all interested in Kenny, as it simply ran past without even seeming to notice him.

As Kenny stayed crouched on a tree limb, his mind swirling with the events of just a few moments before, the soft _whirr_ of a 3D Maneuver Gear's engine sounded next to him. He turned to see a member of his squad, the stern-faced blonde woman he'd spoken to just before breaking into the cabin, land neatly next to him. "Lieutenant!" Kenny said, surprise evident in his voice. "You're...alive? I thought Levi'd killed everyone guarding the cabin door!"

"He almost did," the woman replied, voice as cool as ever despite the Titan rampaging through the woods ahead of them. "He's so _fast_...it's terrifying. I don't know how he heard us, but I sure as hell didn't see Levi coming until he already had his blade buried in poor Kurtz's chest. I just barely managed to escape into the forest. Luckily he was more concerned with protecting his squad inside the cabin, or I'm sure Levi would've followed and killed me as well."

The Lieutenant shuddered slightly at the memory. "Anyway, I was heading back to the rendezvous point when I saw that bright light and turned around. Thought you might need backup, sir."

Kenny grunted in affirmation. "Well, I'm glad you came, Lieutenant. I don't know what the fuck's going on, but I'm pretty damn sure that my nephew's inside that Titan up there." He nodded towards the giant form in front of them. "C'mon, we need to follow." Kenny activated his 3D Maneuver Gear and started swinging from tree to tree, keeping a fast pace after the monster without getting close enough to be hurt by the trail of destruction it was leaving behind. The Lieutenant kept pace beside him.

"I don't understand, Captain!" The Lieutenant said, raising her voice to be heard over the Titan's thunderous footsteps. "I thought Levi was a human!"

"So did I. Like I said, I sure wasn't fuckin' prepared for this. He's killed most of the squad in that form - if any of 'em managed to escape, they probably won't be sticking around at the rendezvous point."

"What should we do, sir?"

"Only one thing to do." Kenny abruptly stopped on a tree branch, his Lieutenant just barely avoiding crashing into him. "We need to cut him out of the back of that Titan's neck. It won't be easy, but we'll manage." _Damn, do I wish I had Survey Corps Maneuver Gear right now!_ Kenny thought. _Nothing's ever easy with you, is it, Levi?_

"Sir, how do you know that...?" The Lieutenant asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Never you mind," Kenny grunted. With one swift movement he pulled out a knife that was strapped to his leg, and cut a long slice of fabric from the bottom of his cloak. He then roughly sliced that fabric in two, and used one half to tie the knife around the barrel of one of the small guns attached to the triggers of his 3DMG. "Gimme your knife," he said, and the Lieutenant pressed a blade into his hand. Kenny tied that knife around the other gun's barrel, creating two clumsy but serviceable daggers on the Maneuver Gear.

"Alright!" Kenny shouted as he once again activated his Maneuver Gear and flew off after the Titan. "I'll cut that fucker straight outta the nape of that damn Titan! Lieutenant, once that Titan is down, you'll need to be there to help me secure our original target while I take care of Levi. I suspect my damn nephew has the boy with him, so we can get two birds with one stone, so to speak! Though I suppose it'd be two Titans, in this case."

"But Captain Ackerman, are you sure Levi is even inside that Titan?"

"Doesn't matter! Cutting the nape open'll kill a normal Titan anyway, so we'll at least be getting one of the shitty kids we were supposed to capture in the first place!"

Kenny fired off more wires from his Maneuver Gear and started moving in close, swinging as fast as he could from tree to tree and running along the boughs in order to get up speed. The Titan's thunderous footfalls filled his ears, as the creature churned up huge furrows of dark earth with every step it took. Kenny's heart beat faster as he drew ever closer to the Titan, a wicked grin spreading across his face. It had been such a long time since he'd actually had a worthy challenge, one that would allow him to use his skills and expertise to the fullest...

When he was close enough to feel the Titan's great heat against his face, Kenny leapt off of the tree he was in and shot two of his Maneuver Gear wires into the creature's neck. The Titan growled slightly, but other than that it didn't acknowledge the barbed wires that had just bitten into its flesh. Kenny moved in close, pulled back his arms...and thrust his two makeshift blades deep into the Titan's nape.

"Fuck!" He shouted, as hot blood burst out from the opening he'd created to splatter across his body. Hot plumes of steam rose up, obscuring his view, but Kenny didn't stop cutting. He knew that he couldn't let the creature heal itself and then throw him down to the ground and crush him. Kenny used his Maneuver Gear in order to gain the leverage he needed, pulling and pushing his body back and forth on the wires and sinking new ones into the Titan in order to brace himself. With each new thrust he cut through more skin and muscle, creating a deeper and deeper cut into the Titan's neck.

The Titan finally stopped running and literally howled in pain, falling to its knees and flailing one of its hands around its head in a desperate attempt to remove the source of its agony. The second hand was kept clenched into a fist by the Titan's side, and probably held the brat it seemed so hell-bent on protecting. "Damn it!" Kenny growled, as one of those great hands missed taking his head off by only an inch.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kenny saw a flash of steel and another spurt of blood, and he looked up to see the Lieutenant flying expertly around the Titan's head, firing concentrated sprays of bullets into its fingers and palm in order to keep the monster from swiping at Kenny. It was working, as the Titan roared and started trying to swat her down instead. The _crack_ of breaking wood surrounded them, as the Titan's hand smashed against the surrounding trees. "Keep it up, Lieutenant!" Kenny shouted, mentally patting himself on the back for picking the woman for his squad. Despite having never actually fought a Titan before, his Lieutenant was a natural at distracting the thing - and without a sword, to boot.

"Aha!" Kenny shouted, as he finally cut deep enough to reveal a human face through the haze of steam, nestled among the flesh and muscle of the Titan's. And sure enough, it was Levi's. Kenny had never seen his nephew so still and unmoving, not even in sleep. Pulsing strands of muscle webbed out from around Levi's eyes, his fingers and feet and sides, pinning Levi to the Titan that had encased him. With a few quick swipes, Kenny cut through the filaments of muscle, reached his blood-covered hands in, and roughly yanked Levi free of his Titan. "You've been a fuckin' pain in the ass for me tonight, you little bastard," he muttered.

Without its human to pilot it, the Titan body stilled, the bright blue glow of its eyes going dull, and it began to pitch face-forward towards the ground. Kenny tossed Levi's unconscious, steaming, blood-covered body over his shoulder and swung down towards the ground, landing roughly just beside the Titan's shoulder as it landed with an earth-shaking crash onto the snow-covered earth. 

Although Eren had known that the Titan holding him was moving, there hadn't been much he could do besides curl up inside of its swelteringly hot palm and curse his inability to bring himself to transform. He couldn't hear anything over the pounding of the Titan's feet and the occasional deafeningly loud roar. Then, Eren felt the Titan stop suddenly and start to fall forwards. He braced himself as best he could against the sides of the Titan's hand, hating how fragile his human form was right now. _As soon as he hits the ground, and I'm sure that I won't crush Levi,_ Eren thought firmly. _I'll transform and kill all of these bastards._

The Titan landed with a jarring force that sent Eren to his knees, crying out as the force of its impact with the ground sent shockwaves through his entire body. Thankfully, the thing's massive hand seemed to have cushioned the blow somewhat. Eren felt the Titan's fingers loosen around him, refreshingly cold air seeping through them. He brought his hand up to his mouth, prepared to bite down - 

\- And felt a firm hand reach in-between the Titan's steaming fingers, fasten itself around the back of Eren's collar, and yank him roughly out onto the snow. He lashed out blindly, and felt someone plant a firm boot onto his back. He fell forwards into the snow, all the breath leaving his body at the impact. Then Eren's hands were yanked up and away from him, held firmly by whoever it was on his back. He struggled, but the position he was in was hardly conducive to stopping an attacker.

Then Eren saw two booted feet stop in front of him, and he looked up to see the same man who had terrorized his friends back at the cabin stop in front of him, a dark figure silhouetted against the night sky. _"You,"_ he snarled, and began his struggles anew.

"Ah, ah, ah," the man - Kenny, Eren remembered - said, almost lazily. "I wouldn't be giving my Lieutenant too much trouble, if I were you. You might just find your precious Captain here in a rather nasty situation, otherwise." 

Eren's eyes widened in horror as he saw the small figure draped over Kenny's body. Though he couldn't see too clearly, the height and slim yet compact build, as well as the dark hair standing out against a pale shirt, marked the body Kenny held as Levi's. "He's not dead," Kenny said, reading Eren's worst fears clearly in his face. "Yet."

Eren's arms went slack in his captor's grip. "I'll do whatever you want," he choked out. "Just...let Captain Levi go. Please. He doesn't have anything to do with this. It's all my fault."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Kenny replied. "But y'see, it's not up to me, kid. My employer's paying good money to have you brought to him. And getting Levi like this is my own _personal_ reward, so to speak."

Eren's mind was swimming with confusion. Who the hell were these people? How did Kenny and Levi know each other? Who exactly was it who wanted Eren so badly? But before he could even start trying to ask these questions, Kenny looked up and nodded at the person pinning Eren to the ground. There was a sharp pain against the back of his skull, and everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh. Now what will happen? Tune in next time to find out, on _Days of Our Titans_...err, I mean, this fic. :p 
> 
> Seriously, thank you all for the wonderful kudos and comments! You guys are far too kind. :3 
> 
> There will be more detailed descriptions of Levi's Titan form in later chapters, worry not! I can't draw to save my life, but if someone reading this wants to draw Levi's Titan, that's cool with me. No pressure though.


	6. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Eren find themselves in a bad situation, and the members of Squad Levi make a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I went waaayyy longer than I wanted to without updating. Thank you so, so much for your patience everyone, you're all the best. As usual, school and my internship keep me very busy. The semester's starting to wind down though, so I'll (hopefully) have a bit more free time to write coming up. At least until the summer semester starts... =.=
> 
> WARNINGS: corpses, blood
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Inside the remains of the cabin, the rest of Squad Levi huddled behind their respective pieces of furniture for several long minutes after all the screaming and earth-shaking footsteps had died down. Now the only sound was the wind rustling the tree branches outside, and yet still no one dared move. All they knew was that a Titan had appeared, and had probably killed off most if not all of the Military Police, based on the screams and sporadic bursts of gunfire from earlier. Anyone who wasn't dead was probably long gone by now. The lack of roaring and stomping feet almost certainly meant that the Titan was gone as well, but no one wanted to take any chances.

Armin's mind was racing as he thought about the Titan. It seemed highly likely that the creature had been Captain Levi, considering what Eren had shared with him and Mikasa earlier. _Why did Eren run towards the Captain like that? Did Captain Levi run off with him? Did Eren transform? Were they captured? I hope Eren's OK..._ Armin had no answers for any these questions.

Finally, Historia inched out from underneath her rocking chair and scanned the ruined cabin. The front wall was almost entirely gone, reduced to rubble and splinters by the Titan's massive hand. She grimaced at the scene outside of the cabin, faintly lit by the graying light of dawn. It looked like a battlefield. Dark splatters of blood stained the snow, and several bodies lay broken and unmoving on the ground. Some of them looked quite mangled. Historia swallowed hard as she spotted someone's arm lying not ten feet away from her, the body it belonged to nowhere in sight. Everything was completely still, save for a light breeze gently stirring the tree branches outside. "You guys," she said quietly. "I...I think it's safe to come out now."

Slowly, everyone peeked out from their hiding places and stood up, like wary animals emerging from their burrows. There were a few gasps at the carnage outside, but everyone was so used to such sights that no one was too upset about it.

The sound of unsteady footsteps echoed down the hall, and everyone whipped around to face it. For a moment no one breathed, afraid that some surviving MP was going to emerge with their guns blazing. There was a collective sigh of relief when the figure that turned the corner into the living area was Mikasa. She was stumbling along unsteadily, leaning heavily against the wall for support. One of her hands was pressed against a nasty-looking gash on the side of her head.

"Mikasa!" Armin shouted. He ran towards her, closely followed by Jean, Sasha, Historia, and Connie. Armin and Jean quickly looped Mikasa's arms around their shoulders in order to support her. "I'm...I'm so glad you're alright," Armin whispered, his throat thick and choked with emotion. Seeing Mikasa go down against that horrible man who'd led the MPs that had attacked them had been horrifying. Armin had been so scared that the girl he saw as a sister was dead. "I'm so relieved..."

"I thought you were dead for sure!" Connie cried. "That old guy who hit you was crazy strong!"

"Knock it off, Connie, you'll upset her," Jean growled. "There's no way Mikasa would die to that Kenny asshole."

"A-Armin?" Mikasa whispered. "What happened?" Bleary gray eyes scanned her surroundings, widening in shock as she took in the ruined cabin, the blood and dead bodies. "Were we attacked? I don't remember..." She let out a sharp gasp of pain, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Come on, we need to get her to the couch," Armin said, and they helped Mikasa over to sit down.

"Move your hand so I can see your wound," Sasha coaxed, and Mikasa did so with a pained groan. Sasha examined the gash with careful fingers, pulling Mikasa's matted black hair away in order to get a better look. "Well...it's not life-threatening," Sasha finally said, and there was another collective sigh of relief. "But it's not pretty, either. Hang on, I've got some bandages in our room. I'll fix you right up, Mikasa!" And with that, Sasha got up and took off down the hall towards the girl's room.

"I think Ms. Hanji's still alive!" Historia called from where she was crouched over the scientist's unconscious form, two fingers pressed against Hanji's pulse point. "She still has a pulse, anyway...we should probably get her over by the fire, where it's warmer." Connie and Jean went to help Historia move Hanji, and Mikasa slowly got up from the couch in order to let them put Hanji on it.

Sasha returned from the girls' room with rolls of white cloth and a small bottle of Vine that was for use as disinfectant. She sat Mikasa down on the armchair and got started bandaging her head. "No one's told me what's going on - ah!" Mikasa cried out in pain as Sasha started dabbing at her wound with a Vine-soaked cloth. "That stings..."

"Not much I can do about that, the wound needs to be cleaned before I can bandage it," Sasha replied. Mikasa nodded slightly and leaned back in order to give Sasha better access to her head.

Armin shared nervous glances with Jean, Connie, and Historia. They all knew that there would be no keeping Mikasa back once she found out that Eren was gone. It was a minor miracle that she hadn't asked about him yet. Finally, Armin spoke. "A Titan appeared. It drove off the MPs - it killed most of them, I think - and wrecked the cabin in the process."

"A Titan?" Mikasa's brow furrowed in confusion. "You mean...Eren?" Her eyes widened at the sudden realization that Eren wasn't in the room with them. Ignoring Sasha's cry of protest, Mikasa got to her feet, eyes wildly scanning the room for her brother. "Where's Eren!?"

"Sit down and let Sasha finish bandaging you up, Mikasa," Jean said gently. "We'll explain everything." Mikasa didn't look pleased, but she did as asked and let Sasha start wrapping the bandages around her head. Everyone took turns explaining what happened after Mikasa had been knocked out - all of them being taken outside, Kenny threatening to kill Eren in front of Captain Levi, the Captain biting his hand and disappearing, with a Titan taking his place. Then the MPs scattering and being crushed beneath the Titan's massive hands and feet.

"We all ran inside the cabin to take cover after that," Connie explained. "Eren went running at the Titan like a crazy person, and that was the last we saw of him. The Titan ran off after that...I guess Eren must have followed it. We've just been hiding in here til we were sure that all the MPs were gone and the Titan wasn't coming back."

"But...none of this makes any sense," Historia said, frowning in confusion. "There was a bright flash of light, just like what happens whenever Eren transforms. And then there was a Titan. It's almost like - and I know this sounds absolutely crazy - it's like the Captain is a Titan-shifter."

Armin and Mikasa exchanged a long look. They had agreed to keep what Eren had told them about what he'd done to the Captain in confidence, but now that everything had gone to shit, was that even an option anymore? Finally, Mikasa nodded slightly and Armin sighed. There was no point in keeping things hidden now. "You guys," Armin said, "we have something that we need to tell you..."

Everyone was silent as Armin repeated what Eren had told him and Mikasa - that Eren had given Levi some of his own blood in order to save the Captain's life. As he talked, everyone's faces grew increasingly more concerned, brows furrowing and mouths deepening into frowns. "That _idiot,_ " Jean muttered, after Armin had finished. "Was Eren dropped on his head as a child? I swear, he's the king of stupid ideas. The suicidal bastard's lucky he didn't kill the Captain right then and there."

"But...Captain Levi probably would have died if Eren hadn't given him his blood..." Connie replied.

"Yeah, and now we have another rampaging Titan Shifter to worry about! After everything that's happened, doesn't Eren get that Shifters are bad news?" Jean retorted. "I know Captain Levi is strong, but...will he be able to control his transformation at all? What if he's destroying a town right now?"

Before anyone else could reply, there was a loud groan from the couch, and Hanji's eyes fluttered slowly open. "Uggghhhh...what hit me?" She mumbled, putting a hand to her head and slowly sitting up. "Where are my glasses - ah, thank you, Historia," Hanji put on her glasses and blinked a few times, eyes widening almost comically as she took in the dead MPs and ruined cabin around her. "What happened here?"

As Jean, Connie, and Historia filled Hanji in on the events of last night, Sasha tied off Mikasa's bandage and went to look Hanji over. "Hmm...Ms. Hanji, you'll have one heckuva bump on your head, but I think you'll be OK."

"So, Levi really _did_ transform!?" Hanji squealed, ignoring Sasha's prognosis. Her face lit up in a slightly disturbing expression of manic glee. "Ah, I wish I'd been awake to see that! What did he look like? How did he behave?"

"Uh, well, it was too dark to really see him clearly..." Jean said slowly. "Ms. Hanji, are you sure you're alright?"

"I've never been better! Oh, I have so many theories! I wish Levi hadn't run off. That man just never makes things easy for scientifically-minded people like myself."

"You guys, we can't stay here," Armin interrupted. "The Military Police know where we are now; it isn't safe. We need to pack up and go somewhere else, preferably nearer to a town or something where we can pick up information about Eren and the Captain. We've got to figure out how to find them."

"But where can we go?" Historia asked. "The MPs will probably be looking for us in all the big towns and cities. Like it or not, we're all wanted people now. Plus, two of us are wounded."

"Nonsense! I'm fine!" Hanji said, jumping to her feet and almost immediately falling back down on the couch with a hand pressed against her head, hissing slightly in pain. "OK, maybe not so much..."

"Well...we could go and stay with my mom," Jean suggested. "She lives near Trost, but not that close to the main city. So there probably won't be as many MPs, and we could lay low for a few days while we get some information."

"Jean, don't you think the MPs will probably go to your mother's house first?" Connie snorted. "Come on, we've got to be smarter than that. And when they did inevitably find us there, aren't you worried that they'd hurt your mom for letting us stay with her?"

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any better ideas, Connie," Jean huffed. "And I'd protect her, of course!"

"Actually...it's not a bad idea," Armin said. "I mean, the MPs will probably go to question Jean's mom first, yeah, but it'll take us a day or two to actually get there. By the time we do, they'll be gone. And let's face it, going to stay with Mrs. Kirschtein is so obvious that no one will think to look for us there. Obviously we can't stay for more than a few days or people will start to get suspicious, but that should be long enough for us to figure out our next move."

"Armin, you're _brilliant,_ " Hanji sighed. "I should have recruited you for my squad before Levi got you."

Armin blushed slightly at the praise. "A-Anyway, I guess we should just take turns carrying Mikasa and you, Ms. Hanji. I mean... I don't think that we can't stay here long enough to wait for you two to fully recover, but it's up to you in the end, ma'am. You're the highest-ranked soldier here, after all."

"Your plan's probably the best anyone's going to come up with," Hanji replied. "And please don't worry about me, I've suffered through worse than a bump on the head in my life. I'll be fine by the time we're ready to leave.

"For now, everyone get packed up," Hanji continued, her voice taking on a more serious tone as she took on her role as Squad Leader. "Take only the essentials - two days' worth of food and water, primarily. Basically, only take things that can help in an emergency. Bandages, knives, matches, that kind of stuff. Everyone put on civilian clothing as well. And wear plain cloaks, not your Survey Corps ones. We'll have to leave those here, since we can't wear anything that'll make us easily recognizable. Once you're dressed and packed, go outside and put your Maneuver Gear on. We'll meet up out front when it's time to go." 

Hanji gave her cloak a slightly forlorn look. It felt strange to be doing anything of such importance without wearing it. She always felt hopeful when wearing the Wings of Freedom, as if destroying the Titans really was a goal that was almost within reach. But there were more important things to worry about now. "Well, let's get going!" Hanji said, clapping her hands together and getting up a bit more slowly this time. "We don't really have any time to waste."

An hour later, Armin was trying to convince Mikasa to let the others take turns carrying her until they reached Mrs. Kirschtein's house. "Please Mikasa, Eren wouldn't want you to hurt yourself any worse for him! Remember what happened when Reiner and Bertoldt kidnapped him? Your ribs nearly got crushed!"

"I'm _fine,_ Armin," Mikasa sighed, as she adjusted one of the Maneuver Gear straps at her hip. "I'll only slow us down if I need to be carried. And I don't. The sooner we get into town and get news about Eren, the better."

Hanji came around the back of the cabin before Armin could say anything else, suited up in her Maneuver Gear. "Is everyone present?"

"Yes, Squad Leader!" Jean, Connie, Historia, Sasha, Armin, and Mikasa all chorused.

"Alright then, off we go! Everyone follow me!" And before Armin could stop her, Mikasa was zooming through the air after Hanji, leaping deftly from tree branch to tree branch as if she'd never been hurt at all.

Armin sighed as he followed everyone else into the forest. _Why is my family so crazy?_

**-x-**

Levi's consciousness returned slowly, like a swimmer slowly rising from the dark depths of a lake to the surface. His head felt as if it was filled with lead bricks, a slow throbbing ache forming in his temples. People must have been speaking nearby, as bits of a conversation floated in and out of Levi's ears, transient fragments that made no sense to his exhausted mind.

_"...prolly gave him his blood, or something..."_

_"...don't know...specifics..."_

_"Are they bonded now?"_

_"Who knows...question is...can we use that...?"_

Levi's eyes fluttered open. He felt so slow and heavy, even that slight movement was difficult. His whole body ached, his limbs heavy and sore. Levi hadn't felt this kind of bone-deep exhaustion since he was younger, training for hours and hours a day with Kenny...

_Kenny!_ Levi's eyes flew open as the memories of what had happened last night came back, rushing across his mind like a gale-force wind. Kenny and his men attacking the cabin, taking his squad prisoner...hurting Hanji. And the bastard had backed Levi into a corner, as usual. No matter how well Levi planned ahead, how much he thought his actions through, it seemed that Kenny would always be two steps ahead of him. He hadn't even seen the man in over a decade, and Kenny was _still_ outsmarting him. It was almost enough to make Levi's blood boil.

But then...what had happened after that? The last coherent thing Levi could remember was biting into his hand as Kenny held a knife to the back of Eren's neck, the boy's gem-like eyes wide and filled with fear. After that, everything was a rush of emotions and sensations. Incredible heat, thick layers of insulating flesh and muscle pounding and pulsing in his ears, against his body, inside of his very mind. Running, feeling panicked and hunted. An incredible need to keep Eren safe, to just get away and make sure that Eren, _his Eren,_ wasn't hurt...

But where _was_ Eren? And for that matter, where was he?

The room he was in was dingy, lit only by the faint, flickering orange light of what was probably an oil lamp from somewhere down the hall. The walls were made of dirty gray stone, and the hard, cold floor underneath Levi's body was gritty with what he fervently hoped was just dust. A set of thick iron bars separated Levi from the outside corridor. The whole place smelled as if it had been used as a lavatory at some point, and Levi grimaced in disgust. Just the thought of the amount of dirt he was sitting in at the moment made his skin crawl. 

Levi tried to stand up - and found that his arms were secured to the wall behind him by thick, cold metal cuffs. He craned his neck, and heard the soft clinking of chains. From what Levi could make out in the dim light, his arms were chained to a thick metal loop embedded in the wall behind him. He gave a few experimental tugs, his heart sinking as he found no weakness in the metal. Whoever had secured Levi clearly didn't want him getting free. They reminded him unpleasantly of the chains he had used to secure Eren in his bed each night in the dungeon, back at the old Survey Corps HQ...

_Wait a minute..._ Levi's last coherent memory was of biting into his hand, just as Eren did whenever his subordinate wanted to shift into his Titan form. Had he...actually transformed into a Titan? Levi felt a heavy chill form in the pit of his stomach as he remembered his skin healing over in the cabin's kitchen, after he'd cut himself. Was Levi secured so thoroughly _because_ his captors didn't want him to bite himself? _No,_ he thought firmly, refusing to accept the thoughts racing through his mind. _There's no way. I'm not a Titan shifter. I...I can't be._

"Captain?" A soft voice came from somewhere to Levi's right, sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet prison. Whoever had been talking before had clearly moved on. Levi shifted in order to try and get closer to the voice, and he cursed as he realized that his feet were bound as well, with what felt like thick rope. 

"Eren? Is that you?" Levi said.

"Yes, it's me," the voice - _Eren_ \- replied, filled with relief. "I'm so glad you woke up! I...I was worried..."

"I'm fine, just a few bruises," Levi tried to reassure his subordinate. There was another set of iron bars separating Levi's cell from the one next to it, and through them he could see the pale curve of Eren's cheek, those unnaturally bright eyes shimmering worriedly at him in the dim light. He couldn't help feeling at least a bit relieved, knowing that his subordinate was at least alive. "Are you alright? Where are we?"

"I don't know, sir. That old guy with the beard - Kenny - and his lieutenant captured us. They knocked me out, and I woke up to find myself chained up here. They threw you into the cell next to me, and I've just been waiting for you to wake up..."

"Shit," Levi breathed, the pit in his stomach growing heavier. If Kenny had been the one to capture them...it meant that escape would be just that much more difficult. Kenny _knew_ Levi, knew how he worked and how he fought. Hell, Kenny had _taught_ Levi how to fight. If anyone could figure out how to keep Levi imprisoned, it would be that bastard. Did anyone else even know where they were? "Where's the rest of the squad? And Hanji? Are they here too?" He asked.

"I don't think so - " Eren started to say, but was cut off by what sounded like a door slamming open somewhere down the corridor outside their cells. Footsteps echoed off of the stone floor and walls of their prison, and Levi felt slightly sick as he saw Kenny round the corner into view. He was wearing his usual long, dark coat, his bowler hat pulled low over his face, golden eyes glinting darkly under the brim. Behind him was a stern-faced woman who looked uncomfortably similar to the Female Titan's human form. Her blonde hair was even pulled back in a similar clip. She carried an oil lamp with her, its flickering light serving to further illuminate the dirty, dingy cell Levi was trapped in. He guessed that this was the lieutenant Eren had mentioned earlier, who had apparently assisted Kenny in capturing the two of them.

"Well, well," Kenny drawled, his signature smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Looks like our _little_ Sleeping Beauties are awake, eh?" Levi knew the barb was directed at him, and he felt the corners of his mouth pull back into a snarl.

"You can do whatever you want with me, bastard," he spat. "Just let Eren go. He doesn't have anything to do with you."

" _Au contraire,_ my dearest nephew," Kenny replied. He removed a set of rusty-looking keys hanging from a large metal ring out of a pocket of his coat and unlocked first Eren's cell, then Levi's. The locks clicked loudly as they were released, and the hinges on the cell doors squealed and creaked as they were pushed open, the sound loud and unpleasant. "Both of you are involved with things you got no business in. Now, it looks like you're gonna pay for that."

Kenny jerked his head slightly in the direction of Eren's cell, and the blonde woman at his side nodded and entered it. She set the oil lamp down by the partition between Eren's and Levi's cells, so that Kenny could see by its light as well. Levi saw that Eren was chained up in the same way that he was, arms secured above the boy's head and his legs bound together. Eren was staring at him, confusion evident in his face, and Kenny chuckled darkly as he entered Levi's cell. "You never told this brat about me, Levi? I'm hurt, really. After I spent so many years feeding and training your sorry ass, too."

Kenny crouched down behind Levi, and he heard the soft sound of metal sliding against leather, followed by the cold, sharp edge of a knife pressed against his jugular. In the cell across from him, Levi could only watch helplessly as Kenny's lieutenant pressed her own knife against the same place on Eren's neck. The expression on his subordinate's face was positively murderous, and Levi had no doubt that Eren would be trying to tear the woman apart if his arms and legs were free. Levi cursed himself for being so weak as to have gotten them both in this position. It was bad enough that he was trapped, but having let Eren down as well was a thousand times worse.

"Alright now, you two are gonna answer some questions for me," Kenny growled. "How long has Levi here been a Titan Shifter?"

Both Levi and Eren were silent. Levi only focused on Eren, on the rise and fall of his chest, the hate filling his eyes, the pulsing of his jugular just beneath the blonde woman's knife. _I'm so sorry,_ Levi tried to tell him through his own gaze. _My past came back and fucked us both over. You didn't deserve this. It's my fault. I should have protected you better..._

"Not gonna cooperate, eh?" Kenny said. "Alright then. My employer's insisted that you both be kept alive now that you're here...but he didn't say anything against us roughing you two up a little bit first. Test just how good this Titan regeneration of yours works, hm?" Levi felt him nod at his lieutenant, who brought the knife up to press against the part of Eren's hand that wasn't covered by the metal cuffs. Levi watched as a line of thick red blood appeared just underneath the knife. Eren gave a sharp intake of breath, but didn't show any fear on his face.

Levi knew that Kenny would do it, too. He wasn't above cutting Eren up right in front of Levi to make him talk. Levi had seen him do worse. "It's been less than a month," Levi growled out, hating every single word that fell through his lips. "Eren gave me some of his blood after you nearly killed me with that fucking tea, you son of a bitch. He was trying to save my life."

"And how long've you been using that Titan form of yours?"

"...I didn't know I could until you were threatening Eren in front of me," Levi bit out. "I learned that I could heal myself like a Titan can only a few hours before that."

For a long moment, everything was quiet. Levi could see the blonde woman looking at Kenny, her face hard and inscrutable. Then, finally, Kenny threw his head back and laughed. It was a horrible, wild sound that echoed off of the stone until it sounded like there were a hundred Kennys in the room, laughing and laughing. Chills ran down Levi's spine, and if looks could kill, the one Eren was giving Kenny would have killed the man right then and there. 

After what seemed like forever, but was probably only a minute or so, Kenny calmed down. He let out a few more chuckles before speaking once again. "Oh, that's _rich!_ To think, Levi, that you would've ended up bonded to some punk brat almost half your age! Man, things just got _interesting._ "

"What the fuck are you on about?" Levi growled. _Since when does Kenny know this much about Titans?_ He thought worriedly. _Just who the hell is he working for? And what does he mean, I'm "bonded to Eren?" Nothing about this makes any damn sense..._

"All in due time, nephew," Kenny replied. "For now, I better tell my employer all of this. He'll probably wanna speak to you himself, now. Run some tests, see how he can use the two of ya. That sort of thing." The knife was pulled away from Levi's neck, and he heard Kenny stand up behind him. "C'mon, Lieutenant. They ain't going anywhere."

"Yes, sir," Kenny's lieutenant said quietly. She stood as well, picked up the lamp, and tucked her knife into a pouch at her waist before going to stand next to Kenny.

"Hey!" Eren shouted. "What kind of tests!? What do you want me and Captain Levi for!? Who's your employer!? Get back here and answer some questions!"

"What a handful this one is!" Kenny replied. "Sorry kid, but I don't have to tell you shit. Anyway, someone should be down to give you guys some food and water in a bit. You two'd better settle in, you're gonna be here a loonng while. After all, no one knows where you are besides me, my employer, and the Central Military Police." 

Kenny shot Levi one last smirk as he locked the cell doors once again. The blonde woman followed him out with the lamp, leaving Eren and Levi shrouded in semi-darkness once more.

Levi didn't dare move his head back to touch the filthy wall of the cell, instead leaning forward to rest it against his knees. He wanted to scream, to rage, to somehow burst out of his cell and strangle Kenny with his bare hands. But trapped as he was, Levi couldn't do any of that. He had to keep it together, for Eren.

"Captain Levi, sir?" Eren said quietly. "That man...is he really your uncle?"

Levi sighed. There wasn't much point in keeping secrets from Eren now, he supposed. "Yes," he said. "I haven't seen him in over a decade. I thought I was rid of him, but I guess I wasn't."

"Oh," Eren said, then was silent.

_I'm not like him, Eren,_ Levi wanted to say, but didn't. _I swear to you, I am_ nothing _like the man Kenny is._ He stubbornly refused to listen to the part of his mind that begged to differ, had always wondered if he was in fact too much like the man who had raised him. "Eren, I owe you an apology," Levi said instead. "When I called you a monster, before...I didn't mean it. I was...surprised, is all. I spoke without thinking, and for that I apologize."

"It's alright, sir," Eren replied. "You didn't say anything that's not true. I am a monster, after all."

"If you're a monster, Eren, than I am now as well." _And I've been a monster for a lot longer than you have, anyway._ "I'll get us out of here, I promise." 

"I know you will, Captain," Eren said softly. "I believe in you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, my boys. They're so gay. I love them so much. ;~;
> 
> As usual, thank you so, so much for all your comments and kudos. They mean so much to me. You're all lovely, wonderful people. *smooches*
> 
> I've got another idea for a fic itching at my mind to be written, so keep an eye out for that as well. ;) It'll be Ereri, of course. It will ALWAYS be Ereri. Ugh, I get ideas faster than I can write, waaahhh...

**Author's Note:**

> um...Merry Christmas?


End file.
